Don Cleveland, 83, of Denton, Professor Emeritus of information science, died April 17 in Denton. During his time at UNT from 1977 to 2004, he was a strong proponent of technology for information sciences. He created one of the earliest computer labs and encouraged his students to use technology and conduct research. He also developed the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in information science and brought the program to Houston.
He received grants from the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine and consulted for organizations such as the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rockefeller Foundation, Texas Library Association, Texas Instruments, IBM and Electronic Data Systems. He also developed a science and technology network for 17 African countries for a project funded by the World Health Organization.
He was a prolific writer, including eight books and a novel.
He served in the U.S. Army for two years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Howard Payne College, a master’s in library science from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s in computer science and mathematics from Texas A&M University and his doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University.
With his wife, Ana Cleveland, Regents Professor of information science, he was an active supporter of Denton and UNT and was involved with the Denton Community Health Clinic, which named its Health Champion Award after the couple. He also was a lifetime member of the UNT Alumni Association. Donations may be made to the Donald B. and Ana D. Cleveland Houston Endowed Scholarship and the Donald B. and Ana D. Cleveland Medical Informatics Endowed Scholarship.
A memorial service is planned for the fall.
