The Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School students, teachers, and administration would like to congratulate Mr. Dan Dearing. As part of the Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School Wall of Fame Ceremony on November 29, the Distinguished Alumni Award was also presented. This award has been given out each year since 2001 to a CMSF Graduate that has gone on to have success after graduation. The 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award was given to Mr. Daniel P. Dearing.
Mr. Dearing was born on March 15, 1977 in Flint, Michigan, to Mr. Harold and Mrs. Veta Dearing. The family moved back to Carrier Mills in May of 1981, just in time for Dan to start school at the Carrier Mills-Stonefort Grade School. He was a 1995 graduate from the CMSF High School.
Mr. Dearing started out in the Detroit automotive industry after earning a Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University. Located in Flint, MI, Kettering University was originally founded as General Motors Institute and is heavily involved in the automotive world to this day. Kettering is a cooperative college where you need corporate sponsorship to attend school. You go to school for a semester then you work for a semester. You do this for your entire college career. Dan graduated and took a job with GM for a year then went into the chassis industry at a German based company ZF Lemforder just outside of Detroit, Michigan. He spent 20 years in the automotive industry.
Dan is the recipient of 9 US patents and US defensive publications. Also, he holds patents in Germany and several other countries throughout Europe and Asia. In 2006, he won the international Die Casting competition.
In 2014 Mr. Dearing made the decision to leave the automotive industry in Detroit and make the shift to the defense industry. Now, he is a program manager for General Dynamics Corporation in Marion, Illinois, which is a global aerospace and defense contractor. Mr. Dearing manages large United States and Ally defense contracts totaling more than $100M from start to finish. His job has taken him to many countries in over five continents. Dan currently lives in Harrisburg with his three children.
After receiving his award, Mr. Dearing addressed the students and guests in attendance. He let them know they should always follow their dreams. "If you have an itch in the back of your head," Mr. Dearing stated, "Don't be afraid to scratch it." He told the students that it does not matter how small your hometown is, if you follow your dreams and work hard, you can accomplish a lot in life. "I have been all over the world," he said, "But I have never been as excited to receive an award as I am tonight. There is just something about being recognized for your accomplishments in your own town." After addressing the crowd, Mr. Dearing then helped Superintendent Jerrell present the Wall of Fame Award certificates to the students in attendance.