David P. Demarest Jr. ’53

David is another classmate whose death notice has just been received. He died Oct. 15, 2011, from Alzheimer’s disease.  

Born in Englewood, N.J., he came from Dwight Morrow High School, majored in English, sang in the choir, and belonged to the YMCA. He was a member of Prospect Club, and his senior-year roommates were Richard Schmidt and Peter Ten Eyck.

Since he did not keep in touch following graduation from Princeton, the following comments are from his wife of 55 years, the former Marlene Sherman, who called him a devoted family man, and from Sally Kalson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

David earned a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, where he taught before joining Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology (later Carnegie Mellon University). Kalson called him “a tireless advocate for preserving the region’s immigrant culture, industrial heritage, and working-class stories.” He was a beloved professor of rhetoric/cultural studies and editor of regional material.

Besides Marlene, he is survived by his children, Elizabeth, James, and Victoria; two grandsons; and sister Nancy Widmer. Marlene said: “When I think of David, I think of Frank Sinatra singing, ‘I did it my way.’ David made a difference.”