Deceased January 19, 2018
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In Memory
Dave Esty died of sepsis following cardiac surgery on Jan. 19, 2018. A “townie” with a long New England family history, he delighted in recalling an ancestor who was a Salem witch. The family connection to Amherst began with a great-grandfather, class of 1860, and many Estys followed.
Dave prepped at Governor Dummer Academy and joined Psi U. He proudly served as “gofer” for Robert Frost, majored in history and was commissioned in the USAF after graduation as an AFROTC product and served for three years. He was later a reservist, reaching the rank of captain.
His service to the College was abundant: He was a member of the executive committee of the Alumni Council, an alumni admission adviser, an associate class agent, an honorary commencement marshal and our class president from 2004 to 2009. He received the College’s Distinguished Service Award.
When Andy Galef ’54 developed the Commitment to Teaching Fellowship in 1994, Dave became its voice through 2017. That presentation is on the class webpage.
Over the years Dave had extensive experience as an advertising executive and with various nonprofits. He held membership in the New York Athletic Association, among many others.
In 1971 he authored Someone Close to You Is on Drugs. Several other publications on drugs followed. He was an adviser on drug abuse to the Departments of Defense and Justice and NYC Addiction Services. He was a critical incident stress counselor and was recognized for his leadership course.
Dave was an avid skier, a longtime member of the National Ski Patrol, president of Tuckerman Ravine Association, an EMT and a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team.
Dave is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Betsy”; sons David Jr. and John; daughters Virginia and Lisa; stepson Gordon; stepdaughter Jennifer; and eight grandchildren.
Hank Tulgan ’54