David Woodrow Sargent, Jr. '39

Dave Sargent died on June 28, 2007, in Cumberland, RI, after a long illness.  While at Amherst, he was active in cross country, fencing (captain), the Glee Club and Choir, and was a member of Theta Delta Chi.  He is survived by a daughter, Bonnie Heile, of North Attleborough; a son, Woody Sargent, of Attleborough; and four grandchildren.  His wife of sixty-four years, Peggy Sargent, predeceased him shortly before his death.

After graduating from college, Dave worked for two years for the C&O/B&O railroad.  Then came the threat of WWII, and he joined an officer training program in the US Marine Corps where he found fellow classmates George Hunt, Al Furman, Crombie Garrett and Harry Trautmann.  After receiving his commission, he spent four years setting up radar stations in the South Pacific war zone.  After the war, he returned to his old position with the railroad.

In 1948, he changed jobs and went to work in the aluminum industry which lasted twenty-five stressful years of keeping the rolling mills busy.  In 1963, he and wife Peggy bought land on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay for retirement purposes.  In 1972, Dave left the aluminum business and moved into the island house.  He next started a specialty printing business which proved to be less stressful and more profitable.  In 1980, he suffered from a cancer scare and bought a home in Florida.  He beat the cancer battle and moved back to his island home in Rhode Island.

In retirement, he volunteered for several different activities, but the most important was teaching American history in local schools, with special emphasis on WWII, which knowledge he found was almost totally lacking in US schools.

During his lifetime, Dave thoroughly loved golf, gardening, music and cribbage.

—Henry S. Seeley ’39