Saying Goodbye to a Legend Alumni, faculty reflect on Dave Gould’s passing and his 31 years at DA
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intensely challenging to his students, Dave brought a courageous intellect to his classroom day-in and day-out. He questioned authority and insisted that his students do the same. He was also not one to sugarcoat his assessment of student writing and critical thinking skills. All of these qualities are what made Dave the great teacher and valued friend he was to many of his students and colleagues. When he retired, he gave me the sign that hung in his room all those years — Thimk — and I am honored to have it on display in my room today as a reminder of all that he meant to me as a teacher and friend. He will be sorely missed.
• Brooke Hartley Moy ’07: A few weeks ago, I was home in Chapel Hill and my parents asked me to clean out my childhood bedroom. In the process, I came across an entire drawer filled with every essay I had ever written for Mr. Gould’s AP Modern European History class and two whole notebooks of class discussions. I read through everything, transporting myself back to the 12th grade. I found Mr. Gould’s constructive feedback that pushed me to become a better writer. I laughed at his outside the box questions that stretched my critical thinking skills. I reflected fondly on the plans he helped shape when he took our class to Eastern Europe. Taking this small step back in time, I was reminded • Eric Steinberger ’08: I rarely share any how much I owed this man and how much of my thoughts on social media. However, I he had shaped my intellectual journey. I can feel compelled to leave a comment about a see his influence in my decision to major man that has truly left a lasting impression in history, the writing style of my college on me. … Mr. Gould took students and thesis and even my recent move to Australia. molded us into skeptics. I constantly find On a broader level, I’d like to think I’ve myself thinking about his lessons and honored his teachings with a willingness to quoting him on a regular basis. Mr. Gould always question the status quo and a love of once told our class, “There is one thing and learning for the sake of learning. one thing only that makes the world turn and that is manners. If we don’t treat each • Virginia Reves Hall ’91, Middle other with respect, we have nothing. The School faculty: Sending love to DA world would be complete chaos without family today — how lucky we were to be manners.” I can honestly say Mr. Gould his students — while I didn’t take Modern will live forever through his students. European, I did have him for Modern Global Issues elective and then had the treat • Bonnie Moses, former Upper to be under his guidance as my first chair of School faculty: David Gould not only history department when joining faculty in inspired hundreds of students in his career, 1998. … We are all richer for having been he was also a great teacher of teachers. touched by him and the pure joy he brought I began my teaching career at Durham to living. Academy fresh out of graduate school and David Gould was an outstanding mentor. • Juliellen Sarver ’85: Mr. Gould was Thirty-two years later, I am still teaching gracious and inspiring in the classroom and I still appreciate his guidance during and on the basketball court. He had high those early years. He was a passionate expectations and inspired us to reach for teacher of history who taught his students them. Through him, I learned how to learn, to think for themselves. which is a lifelong gift. I will never forget
ave Gould, much loved and greatly revered Upper School history teacher, died July 10, 2016, after a long battle with cancer. He was a teacher who truly transformed lives. Dave left the classroom in 2012, but the legacy of his 31-year Durham Academy career continues. Alumni, faculty and parents posted tributes on DA’s Facebook page after learning of his death, and below are excerpts from several of those tributes.
• Emilia Sotolongo ’08: Mr. Gould didn’t teach students content, he taught students how to learn. He continually pushed us to think deeper, to care less about the grade, and to never take anything at face value. He was the teacher whose house we crashed to throw a surprise birthday party, the teacher we helped make a Facebook account. He was the teacher whose class we took less to learn the content, but more to learn from the teacher. In college, I used AP Modern Euro materials and theories in many different classes. In graduate school my professors praised my ability to think and connect social studies topics. When they praised my undergraduate program, I redirected their praises towards David Gould, Jordan Adair and Durham Academy. Mr. Gould furthered my love of history and social studies, and along with Virginia Reves Hall, is one of the biggest reasons I pursed becoming a social studies teacher. As I enter my second year of teaching, it is only fitting that I will be teaching modern European history this year. • Jordan Adair, Upper School faculty: When I moved to my present classroom and next to Dave many years ago, my life at DA changed fundamentally. Honest to a fault with his friends and 28
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