Dean R. Prestemon was born on October 4, 1934. He received his B.S. (1956) in Forestry and Wood Products from Iowa State College (University), his M.S. (1957) in Wood Technology from the University of Minnesota, and Ph.D. (1966) in Forestry and Wood Science from the University of California. Prior to coming to Iowa State, Prestemon held the positions of Technical Representative (1958-1962) for the National Lumber Manufacturers Association and Assistant Specialist (1962-1965) for Forest Product Laboratory of the University of California. He came to Iowa State as an Associate (1965-1966) in the Forestry Department. Prestemon was promoted to Assistant Professor (1966-1968), Associate Professor (1968-1976), and Professor (1976-1999) at Iowa State University. He began phased retirement on July 1, 1994 with a final retirement date of June 30, 1999.

Prestemon was a member of the Society of American Foresters, Forest Products Research Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, Alpha Zeta, and Xi Sigma Pi. The primary focus of his research activities has been the use and marketing of forest products in residential construction.

Prestemon married Jean Prestemon on May 10, 1956. They had six children.