The UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS) is saddened to share that adjunct faculty member Stephen Frank Pearson died on March 25, 2021, at the VA Hospital in Durham, N.C.

A graduate-level instructor at both Carolina and Utica College in New York, Pearson taught many required and elective classes at SILS, including INLS 382 Information Systems Analysis and Design, INLS 560 Programming for Information Professionals, INLS 582 Systems Analysis, and INLS 767 Information Assurance.

He brought to his classes a wealth of experience gained from launching numerous entrepreneurial startups and opening businesses in economically challenged communities. He was committed to educating law enforcement personnel in the complexities of cyber forensics through his research, writing, and his role as chief executive officer of the High Tech Crime Institute in Palm Harbor, Fla. In addition to HTCI, he was the owner of Pearson’s Holdings and Sadie’s Coffee Corner, located in Vance County, N.C.

Pearson retired from the U.S. Army in 2003, having served for 20 years in various roles including as the Army’s first webmaster. He held an MBA from Webster University in St. Louis and a Doctor of Global Business Leadership degree from Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was a long-time resident of Henderson, N.C.

A brilliant and well-loved instructor, Pearson will be sorely missed by faculty and students at SILS.

For more on his life, visit his memorial page on the Sossamon Funeral Home website.

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