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In Loving memory of our dear classmate
David’s post-Waltrip years:
David married Nan Duncan (RHS 1964), a Reagan Redcoat ,while he was in the U.S. Air Force. They had a daughter, Kelly, who was born while David was stationed in Germany in the mid-60’s. After his tour of duty they returned to Houston where he and Nan soon adopted an infant son, Stephen.
While in the Air Force, David was a Missile Technician and operated a Mobile Testing Unit which plugged into the silos. He and Nan lived in a remote area of Frankfurt near the missiles. At one point they bought a new VW Beetle and traveled Europe extensively over the two-year tour. Some of the favorite family gatherings were watching slide shows of castles on the Danube and the ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel.
Upon returning to Houston, David went to work for HL&P in the Engineering Department and enrolled in evening courses at U of H pursuing an Engineering Degree. While at U of H he designed a computer program for HL&P which allowed plugging in variables to simplify the design of high transmission towers. He graduated from U of H with honors obtaining a BSME.
David left HL&P to work for Dow Chemical Co. and subsequently worked for Foster Wheeler and later M.W. Kellogg which became KBR. He frequently would go on assignments to Europe and Asia, working from London to Mongolia. While on a remote assignment in the Indonesian jungle one of his fellow engineers became deathly ill. David flew over to the remote area and arranged medical care, which included access to a ventilator, and a flight home on a private plane with David by his side. It took several months for the friend to recuperate but he credited David with saving his life.
David was an accomplished pianist and also played guitar and trumpet. In his spare time he enjoyed building computers
In 1996, while at KBR, David would frequently drive downtown in the middle of the night to have conference calls with clients and personnel in different parts of the world and different time zones . He had recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was taking medication which he soon realized was being ineffective. He needed to get to the doctor but was “too busy at the moment”. He died of a heart attack in December, 1996 at the age of 53.
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Ted (Teddie) Jordan '64
I kept up with David through he years as he was employed as an engineer with M.W. Kellogg, the engineering and construction firm in Houston now known as KBR. David was a lead mechanical engineer in their rotating equipment group and moved into project management. I sold heat transfer equipment to Kellogg and was there on a regular basis and enjoyed our frequent chats, and the chance to catch up on his life and that of his younger brother Walter, who was a good friend of mine and a member of my class (WHS '64).
David was a perfect gentleman, had a great sense of humor, and it was always a pleasure to visit and talk with him.
Rest in peace old friend.