[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 181 (Thursday, October 22, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6399-S6400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DEAN A. COLLETT

 Mr. LEE. Mr. President, today I offer my recognition of the 
great service of Dean A. Collett to countless Utah students. His 
service has spanned over six decades, starting in the fall of 1956 when 
he first walked through the doors of Highland High School. Today, at 
the age of 92, even through the difficulties of COVID-19, Dean sits at 
his desk making personal phone calls to each of his students, ensuring 
nothing less than their academic success. He is a true servant of the 
people of Utah and one who deserves the highest of honors.
  Dean Ashton Collett was born on September 30, 1928, to Richard G. 
Collett and Amy Ashton Collett in Salt Lake City, UT. Richard Collett 
was a successful banker, but due to the economic turmoil of the Great 
Depression, the Collett family, with all five of their children, would 
move frequently around Salt Lake City looking for work, a hardship that 
would follow Richard and Amy for much of their lives. From those 
moments as a child, Dean would dedicate his entire life helping to 
support his family, working to keep food on the table and later taking 
care of his mother until her passing. Dean spent his youth working as a 
paper boy, doing yard work for hire, and later working as a grocery 
store cashier at Table Supply in the avenues of Salt Lake City.
  As the family kept relocating in search of work, Dean attended 
Emerson Elementary School, Ensign Elementary School, and Washington 
Elementary School. He progressed through

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his educational pursuits, graduating from East High School in 1945 and 
later from the University of Utah in 1956. Before completing his time 
at the University of Utah, Dean served a 3-year mission in Sweden for 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return, he 
was drafted into the Korean war and stationed in Germany due to his 
knowledge of both Swedish and German. Once he graduated from the 
University of Utah, Dean was given his first teaching job at a then 
brandnew school called Highland High School in Salt Lake City. Little 
did he know at the time that serving this school would end up being his 
whole life's mission.
  During Dean's time at Highland High School, he has taught the 
subjects of math, English, yearbook, student government, German, and 
Russian; acted as a cheerleading adviser; and is now a school 
counselor. His time at Highland has spanned more than 63 graduating 
classes and more than 30,000 students. He is an avid football fan and 
has yet to miss a single Highland High football game in the school's 
entire history. You will often see him selling tickets for sporting 
events, dances, plays, and any other community events at the school. He 
has been a father figure to thousands and helped students in need of 
clothing, food, and financial assistance, including for those serving a 
church mission. Dean never married or had children of his own, but 
instead dedicated his life to the children of Highland High School.
  My own staffer, Matt Holton, was a student of Dean's in the early 
2000s and got to experience Dean's extraordinary dedication to his 
students firsthand. While Matt was a freshman, his father was deployed 
with the U.S. Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dean saw a student in 
need of additional care and so took Matt under his wing, becoming a 
crucial mentor and father figure in his life. To this day, they remain 
close friends.
  Dean was also a teacher of a dear friend of mine, former Governor of 
the State of Utah, U.S. Ambassador to China, and U.S. Ambassador to 
Russia Jon Huntsman. Dean often teaches the students of Highland High 
School that failure is a critical ingredient to success, using the 
example that Jon Huntsman, who ran and lost for student body president, 
later achieved the highest offices of public service.
  Dean is an undeniable institution not only at Highland High School, 
but throughout the entire State of Utah. He is a Utahn from the 
Greatest Generation, embodying the best of the American spirit; and it 
is my privilege to honor him today.

                          ____________________