David Hann, who was elected mayor of Paradise Valley in 1992, passed away on Sept. 6.

He was 91-years-old.

Hann spent his early years in Kansas and Colorado, before entering the Navy.

After an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1956, Hann became a pioneer in the information technology industry. In the early 1970s, Hann moved to Phoenix where he worked for General Electric and Honeywell before continuing his career in northern Virginia as the chief executive officer of GTE Telenet, a company that provided the first commercial email service in the United States.

Hann left the corporate world to retire in Paradise Valley in the late 1980s, where he became involved with town civic duties and was elected mayor in 1992. In Paradise Valley, Hann worked hard to get residents involved in town activities and shepherded many initiatives including the undergrounding of power lines.

A celebration of life ceremony is planned for Hann in January 2023. The Hann family asks that donations are directed to the Desert Botanical Garden or plant a tree in his memory.