David died Jan. 24, 2021, in Larchmont, N.Y., of complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Born June 23, 1945, he was raised in Brooklyn and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1967 from Columbia, where he served as president of the undergraduate student government. In 1974 he earned a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton, with a focus on Soviet politics.
For the first part of his career in finance, David worked at Chase Manhattan Bank. He spent the remainder of his career at Merrill Lynch until his retirement in 2013.
David had a special affection for Princeton. He served on the APGA board and enjoyed marching with the APGA in the P-rade. Passionate about Jewish life and Israel, David was active at his synagogue and with nonprofits devoted to Israel.
A tireless reader and consumer of knowledge, David was endlessly fascinated by history, politics, people, and places. Genuinely interested in the lives and stories of virtually anyone he met, David was a networker at heart, always eager and willing to help in any way he could.
David is survived by his wife of 46 years, Sandra; daughters Melissa Braunstein and Nina Blachman ’03; and six grandchildren.
Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.