Deceased December 15, 2018
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In Memory
Dave passed away in his home in Alexandria, Va., on Dec. 15 after a brief illness. Dave and I were good friends and Theta Xi fraternity brothers at Amherst. A few years ago, my wife, Elin, and I relocated to Northern Virginia and had the pleasure to see Dave and his partner, Patricia Schoeni, more frequently.
I will never forget Dave’s 75th birthday party, held at a dive Turkish restaurant in Arlington, Va., in 2009 and attended by a large group of friends from all aspects of his life. Toasts were made by Dave’s friends: from Amherst College (me), his graduate school at the University of Michigan, his service as the first Peace Corps director in Turkey, fellow retired federal government colleagues from the Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of Management and Budget, Health and Human Services and members of the team responsible for forming the Department of Education. In addition, recent clients attended and spoke from College Match, his consulting firm that provided college advisory guidance to countless high school students.
As the group saluted Dave, there were several consistent themes: his idealism, inspired first by JFK; his passion for public service; and his curiosity about people, politics and the world. Dave was a Renaissance man, a brilliant and innovative policy person in presidential administrations from LBJ to Reagan. However, the most striking thing about this gathering was the number of guests who benefited over the years from having Dave as a mentor and friend. Dave was always available for college and career advice. So Dave’s idealistic urging that young people consider public service is a true and impressive legacy.
Dave is survived by his partner, Pat Schoeni; his son, Todd Weinman; Todd’s wife, Mariel Hagan; and his grandson, Duncan Weinman.
Bill Frymoyer ’55