Demetrius T. Paris

Biography

Demetrius T. Paris was a professor and former vice president for Research and Graduate Programs at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., USA.

Born in Stavroupolis, Greece, in 1928, Dr. Paris emigrated to the U.S. in 1947 to attend college at Mississippi State University, where he received a B.S. in electrical engineering. From 1952-58, he worked with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the Lockheed-Georgia Company. While working full-time, Dr. Paris earned an M.S. from Georgia Tech in 1958.

In 1959, he joined Georgia Tech's School of Electrical Engineering, now the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty, and Simultaneously pursued a Ph.D., which he earned in 1962. During his career, he made primary technical contributions to the areas of antennas and antenna measurements, including the classic textbook "Basic Electromagnetic Theory. As the school's director from 1969-89, Dr. Paris hired 63 tenure-track faculty, 46 of whom are still active today. Establishing the Microelectronics Research Center and the graduate co-op program are among the many hallmarks of Dr. Paris' career.

From 1989-95, Dr. Paris served as the Institute's vice president for research and graduate programs. In 1995, he returned to ECE as research programs coordinator. Dr. Paris served on the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), most recently as the chair of its international activities committee. A Fellow of both the IEEE and ABET, he was recently chosen to receive the Meritorious Award for Accreditation Activities from the IEEE Educational Activities Board. In 1984 he received the IEEE Centennial Medal.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Elsie Edwards Paris; a daughter, Cheryl Dorsett Thompson; a son, James Ola Dorsett; and six grandchildren.

Demetrius T. Paris, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on August 29th, 1998.