Dean Hurst was born December 4, 1926 in Ogden, Utah. He attended Ogden High during WWII and graduated in June of 1944. He attended one semester of Weber College before being drafted in February of 1945 where he chose to become a paratrooper assigned to the 517th Airborne. After the war he returned to Weber College as an art major and worked as the year book editor. He graduated with his degree from Weber in 1948? He finished his schooling at the University of Utah as an art advertising major.

In 1952 Dean married Carol Watkins and they proceeded to have five children together.

Dean began his career at Hill Air Force Base working as a technical illustrator. He then cofounded his own agency, Halverson and Hurst Advertising and Art Agency, but moved on to become a partner at Pierson, Kearney and Hurst Advertising and Art Agency which lasted for 14 years.

In 1952 he began a lifelong association with the Weber College Alumni Association. In 1967 he became the Director of Alumni Development at Weber State College. He held several positions in his career at Weber including Director of College Relations, Assistant to the President and culminating as the Vice President of College Relations before he retired in 1991. His final duties as Vice President consisted of fundraising, public relations, the athletic program, the director of the Dee Events Center and the Browning Center and campus security. During his time at Weber Dean helped to develop and fund several buildings on campus including the Stewart Bell Tower, Ott Planetarium, Lindquist Plaza and Fountain and the Dee Event Center. He also created the Weber States mascot, Waldo the Wildcat.

After he retired from Weber, Dean was the founding director of the Stewart Education Foundation. He worked part time as the Director of the College Centennial Planning Commission. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Weber State in 1990, and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992. The Hurst Center for Life Long Learning was named in his honor in 2021.