Donald Deskins, Jr. (1932 - 2013)

Dr. Deskins served in the US Marine Corps, before attending the University of Michigan where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960. While at U of M, Deskins played tackle for the Wolverines football team. After graduation he played professional football for the Oakland Raiders in their inaugural season (1960) in the American Football League. Dr. Deskins served on the University of Michigan Geography faculty from 1968-2002, including as Chair of the Department from 1974-1979. When the Department was discontinued in 1982, Deskins joined the Department of Sociology as Professor of Urban Geography and Sociology. Professor Deskins made important scholarly contributions to our understanding of racial dynamics in American society. Dr. Deskins also served as President of the Commission on Geography and Afro Americans (COMGA) – the first such group to address questions of racism and access within the institutional framework of the discipline. Deskins was selected to receive the inaugural Harold M. Rose Award for Anti-Racism Research and Practice, awarded at the 2013 AAG Annual Meeting.