Dennis Francis Hasson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 1, 1934 to Leonard and Edith Hasson where he attended St. Dominic's grade school and graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1952. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 1955 and his Masters of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1958.

He started his career with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (presently NASA) where he worked in high Mach number experimental aerodynamics and with manned and unmanned space vehicles.

He left NASA in 1967 to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland in College Park where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science in 1970 through the Department of Chemical Engineering.

He started his teaching career in 1970 as an instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland and then as an Associate Professor at the Washington Technical Institute (now the University of the District of Columbia) from 1971 to 1973.

Dennis joined the faculty of the United States Naval Academy Mechanical Engineering Department in 1973. With his background in Materials Engineering, he developed and taught a course in material processing and the fabrication of composite materials. In addition to his teaching duties, he served on the Naval Academy Research Committee, member and Chair of the Trident Scholar Committee, manager of the Materials lab, and president of the local chapters of the Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Xi honorary societies.


Throughout his career, he conducted extensive research, and was published in numerous technical journals and textbooks on Materials Science. While at the Naval Academy, he continued to conduct research on advanced materials with several Navy laboratories and for the Office of Naval Research. He was active in many technical societies, writing a column for the Journal of Metals, and being elected Fellow of both the American Society of Metals and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

He retired from the Naval Academy in 2000, having earned awards such as the Mechanical Engineering Professor of the Year, Mechanical Engineering Researcher of the Year, and Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. After retirement, he continued his relationship with the Naval Academy as a Professor Emeritus.


Mr. Hasson was a member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Severna Park, where he served as an usher at the 10:30 Mass on Sundays.

He is survived by his devoted wife Jean of 50 years of Severna Park, his son Leonard of Annapolis, his son Dennis and daughter-in-law Molly, his three grandchildren Matt, Kate, and Maggie, also of Severna Park, and his brother, Neal Hasson of Baltimore, MD.

Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Friday, November 18th from 4-8:00 pm at the Barranco & Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Hwy. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 on Saturday at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 N. Bestgate Road Annapolis MD, 21401. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to be made to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in memory of his sister, Sister Patricia Hasson, P.O. Box 317 Maryknoll, NY 10545 or to Birthright, 613 Ridgely Ave. Annapolis, MD 21401.