David C. Humphrey ’59

Dave, who came to us from the George School in Newtown, Pa., took his meals at Dial Lodge; roomed with Bingler, Bodman, Burkhardt, Crofton, and Schumacher in his senior year; and majored in history, died Dec. 20, 2021.

Dave had a three-part career: 11 years teaching and writing about the American past, writing the first of his four books, and earning a master’s degree in teaching from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Northwestern; 16 years at the LBJ Library in Austin focusing largely on Vietnam and other foreign policy issues of the 1960s; and seven years as a historian at the Department of State working on documentary histories of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Although he retired in 2000, he continued to work periodically on contract with the State Department, and wrote his fourth book, a biography, on a little-known but fascinating 19th-century Texan entitled Peg Leg: The Improbable Life of a Texas Hero. Still infected by the work and research bug, he took a “half-time” job in 2008 with the Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Dave was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Texas Longhorns, and Washington Nationals, and his light-hearted sense of humor was a hallmark with his golf partners and poker group.

He is survived by his international traveling companion and wife of 54 years, Janet; two sons, Justin and Doug; and four grandchildren. We have sent condolences.