PITTSBURGH, PA, November 24, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Deane L. Root, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Root celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Recently retired from teaching, Dr. Root was named as an emeritus professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh, Dietrick School of Arts and Sciences in 2020, following 38 years of excellence at the university. Consistently promoted throughout his career, he was honored with the title of a full professor in 1998. He also led the music department as the chairperson, director of graduate studies and director of graduate admissions. Among other roles, Dr. Root was gratified to serve as the Fletcher Hodges Jr. Curator at the Center for American Music, University Library System Archives and Special Collections on campus between 1999 and 2019.
In addition to his teaching and administrative achievements in Pittsburgh, Dr. Root served as an instructor of music and humanities at Florida Gateway College, a visiting research associate at Florida State University in the school of music and a research associate at the University of Illinois in the graduate school of library and information science. During the 1970s, he gained expertise as an area coordinator of popular music for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians with MacMillan Publishers Ltd., a global trade book publishing company in London, and as a lecturer of music history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Music. Dr. Root also spent years as a consultant in his field.
An expert in cultural history and the ways in which Americans curate information, Dr. Root is known as a lexicographer, which is someone who compiles dictionaries and creates systematic access to such information. He greatly enjoys the editing process, and equally appreciates speaking to groups on subjects for which he bears a great deal of knowledge, as well as mentoring faculty and scholars in the field.
During his years as a graduate student, Dr. Root began studying the history of music and promoting education, with respect to contemporary culture and cultural history. During this process, he became more intrigued in developing a broader understanding of cultural traditions throughout the world and how they influence one another. Dr. Root started researching and publishing extensively, helped edit encyclopedias and launch a journal, and was a charter member of a scholarly organization in order to advance his scholarly work.
Widely published in his field, Dr. Root has authored and co-authored numerous works, including books, journals, musical editions and scholarly articles, throughout his scholarly community. In 2009, he began serving as the editor-in-chief of Grove Music Online through Oxford University Press. Some of his published works include "Voices Across Time: American History Through Music," an essay in "Music, American Made: Essays in Honor of John Graziano" and a review, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of a Song that Marches On by John Stauffer and Benjamin Soskis." Much sought after for his expertise, Dr. Root has also been featured in numerous newspaper articles, and on radio and television shows.
As a leader in his community, Dr. Root has provided his time and relative expertise as a board member of the Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society. He is also a past president of Gateway to Music, the Greater Pittsburgh Museum Council, and the Friends of the Music Library. Among his industry-related affiliations, Dr. Root is a member of the Music Library Association, the Society for American Music, the American Musicological Society and the American Antiquarian Society. He was elected to membership in Pi Kappa Lambda.
Dr. Root pursued an education at New College of Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in music and received a Woodrow Wilson fellowship in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed a Master of Arts in music in 1971, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in 1977. Dr. Root secured numerous grants throughout his career.
To honor his success, Dr. Root received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for American Music in 2018. The organization previously selected him for a Distinguished Service Citation in 2000. Additionally, he was bestowed with such recognitions as a Certificate of Appreciation for Vision and Leadership in Promoting American Music and Music in America from the Sonneck Society for American Music in 1993, and a Plaque of Appreciation for Commitment to Our Youth from the American Association of Blacks in Energy's Focus Mentorship Program. Likewise, Dr. Root and his co-authors were honored for writing contributions with an Outstanding Academic Book Award from the American Library Association and a Book of the Year Award from the Music Library Association in 1981.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #