July 6-7, 2000

ITEM 108-2001-R0700    RETIREMENT of John P. Hanton, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Montana State University-Bozeman

THAT:  Upon the occasion of the retirement of John P. Hanton from the faculty of Montana State University, the Board of Regents wishes to express its appreciation for his service to the University, the Montana University System, and the people of the State of Montana.

EXPLANATION:  Dr. Hanton began his academic career at the then Montana State College after completing his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hanton's previous degrees were all conferred from the University of Minnesota in Electrical Engineering, where he received his B.S. in 1957 and his M.S. in 1959.

Dr. Hanton came in 1964 to Montana State College as an Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering. He has been at Montana State University for his entire academic career. He was promoted to Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering in 1967, and he became a Full Professor in 1973. From January of 1999 to the time of his retirement, Dr. Hanton was Interim Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Montana State University-Bozeman.

While a faculty member at Montana State University-Bozeman, Dr. Hanton's primary research activities were in the area of livestock identification. Dr. Hanton and a colleague, Professor Harley Leach, are the co-holders of a fundamental patent in electronic identification - U.S. Patent 4262632, issued in 1981. This patent was the first in the area of the electronic identification of livestock, and it was their groundbreaking work that led to a significant number of electronic identification systems.

Dr. Hanton's chief contribution to Montana State University-Bozeman has been in the area of undergraduate teaching. His first teaching award was received just three years after joining the faculty when, in 1967, he was honored as the Outstanding Professor at Montana State University. In 1982 he received the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Teaching Award, and in 1998 Dr. Hanton was honored with the highest teaching award at Montana State University, the prestigious Presidential Scholar award. For Dr. Hanton, the most cherished teaching awards were the 17 consecutive years in which he was named by students in his department to the Alumni Foundation-Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Professor. Dr. Hanton was so honored 27 times by students in his department. No other faculty member at Montana State University has received this number of awards. It is in the arena of undergraduate teaching that Dr. Hanton has made his greatest contribution and the area to which he devoted himself.

For these and other contributions, the Board of Regents of Higher Education is pleased to confer upon John P. Hanton the rank of Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Montana State University and wishes him well for many pleasant years in the future.