Professor of history David Deal dies Oct. 15

David Deal, 62, Whitman College professor, friend, and colleague, died October 15 at his home in Walla Walla. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer.

“David was a remarkable colleague and a great and wise mentor to everyone who studied with him, worked with him, or knew him,” said President Tom Cronin. “Few people contributed more to the strengthening of Whitman College in recent decades than did Dave Deal.”

Deal joined the Whitman faculty in 1969. A Wenatchee native, he earned a bachelor’s degree at Whitworth College in Spokane and his Ph.D. in history at the University of Washington. He also attended Allahabad University in India and received a certificate from the Tokyo School of Japanese Language. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a research associate at Harvard University.

Deal, who specialized in modern Chinese history, was instrumental in establishing the Whitman in China Exchange program, which he oversaw for nearly 20 years, and he founded the Asian studies major at Whitman. He served the College in many ways including as a division chair and chair of the faculty. He was dean of the faculty from 1989 to 1996.

He wrote and lectured extensively, publishing more than 20 articles. Two books are pending publication. He spoke Chinese, Japanese, and German.

“David will be remembered for his penetrating mind, for his kindness toward everyone, and for his infectious sense of humor,” said Pat Keef, dean of the faculty. “He was a first-rate scholar, and a strong contributor to the excellence of this College. He will be deeply missed.”
At an all-College memorial service October 24 professor George Ball spoke for many when he took note of David Deal’s unusual generosity and kindness. “In the days when he was dean of the faculty, I would go to see him to get his support for some projects and ideas,” said Ball. “In the cases in which he turned me down for reasons of finance or protocol, he did it so gently, so softly, so reluctantly that it was very difficult to determine if I had been actually turned down, so great was his care for a person’s feelings.”

Chuck Cleveland, dean of students, remembered Deal’s sense of humor, which sometimes took on elaborate dimensions. “He had a collection of ties that students had given him years ago. He would take great pleasure in wearing these out-of-style neckties to class and then telling about the students who had given them to him.” While his humor was clever, added Cleveland, it was never hurtful.

“What really strikes me, though, about Dave, is the number of people he touched in a personal way including students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the community. He taught us how to be humble, how to care, how to have a sense of humor, and how to enjoy life.”
David Deal is survived by his wife, Judy; his son, Michael Deal; his daughter, Laurie Deal Houck, ’86; his mother, Eva Deal; and brothers Lawrence and Steven Deal. Memorials may be made to the David M. Deal Scholarship or the David M. Deal China Exchange Program at Whitman College.

In Memory of Dr. Deal

Remarks by Travis Jo Cufley, ’02, at the College memorial service in honor of professor David Deal.

I saved this note and book which Dr. Deal gave to me two years ago about this same time of year. I had seen him in passing in the hallway, and he had mentioned that he was using the book in his modern India class, and how he thought I would really enjoy it. A few days later I found the book, along with the note, in my mailbox. . . . I remember thinking how thoughtful it was and also, how lucky I was to know a professor who was so committed to sharing his love of knowledge with his students, even outside the classroom.

I first met Dr. Deal as a freshman student in his core class. Since I knew that I would be speaking today, I emailed all the students to send me back their favorite or most humorous memory of Dr. Deal and our core class. . . .

People remembered how Dr. Deal always referred to our core class as the “honors” section, and when he left us notes on the door or on the chalkboard to meet in a different room, he would write, “honors core meets here,” which always made us grin. And since we were the honors core section in his mind, he always expected more of us when the other core classes gathered for a meeting or discussion.

And there wasn’t a Friday that went by without Dr. Deal reminding us to have fun and to behave ourselves. He would say, “Watch out for those Phi Delts,” and also to be careful of “that powerful Aphrodite.” Every week he said this to us. . . . One time he confessed that “Aphrodite had caught up to him a long time ago during his undergraduate years, and had never let go,” referring, of course, to his lovely wife.

Since you all knew Dr. Deal so well, you also probably knew about his admiration for John Wayne and his love of the movie, a western, titled Shane. The day that Dr. Deal brought in his full-sized cardboard cut-out of John Wayne to discuss hero figures and Achilles definitely left an impression on us. He also used a segment of the movie Shane to discuss Locke and the role of government and its applicability to “life in the West.” And when Dr. Deal came to class on Halloween dressed as a cowboy, that’s when we all realized just how much of a western man he truly was. . . .

Dr. Deal was funny and focused, open to different ideas, and always gentle in encouraging shy classmates to speak.

And, above all, he was such an extraordinarily thoughtful man. One day in class, one of the students didn’t have her book, and Dr. Deal asked her why. She replied that she didn’t have the money to buy it right then. Later on that day she went to her mailbox and found the core book and a note from Dr. Deal reading, “From Santa.”

After our final exam, Dr. Deal invited the whole core class to Baker Faculty Center for a last gathering together and lunch. It seemed an appropriate way to end the good year that we had shared together.

Outside of Core, I was gradually developing an interest in history, and I took a few of Dr. Deal’s Asian history classes and knew that history was what I wanted to study. Eventually I asked him to be my adviser. Since he had been so formative in my academic development at Whitman, it seemed right that he should become my official mentor. Not only was Dr. Deal an important mentor to me through my studies in history, but he became a good friend.

This summer I got to see Dr. Deal for the last time in Seattle at the Art Museum, at which he was scheduled to discuss ancient Szechwan China to the Whitman alumni community. He met my mother, and I felt honored to meet his wife and son and to hear about his newly born grandson. I remember how happy he was when he told me about his grandson. His face glowing, he said, “You know, Travis Jo, they said it wasn’t possible for him to be perfect, but he is. He is truly perfect.”

As individuals we can easily recognize the kinds of people who are important to us and who somehow enhance our lives. People like this, people with whom we develop such connections, are the ones that we seek as friends and mentors. For me, Dr. Deal was this kind of person.
I feel lucky and blessed to have known Dr. Deal for these past few years.