Beloved professor, mentor, and friend, Dr. David M. Carson, 88, passed away on August 5, 2010. He was a faithful, humble servant who dedicated his life to the Lord, his family, church and Geneva College.
Dr. Carson served as the Samuel A. Sterrett Professor of Political Philosophy at Geneva College. His first college service was as a part-time instructor in 1946 while serving as the pastor of the Eastvale Reformed Presbyterian Church. He was appointed to the full-time faculty in 1951 and served until his retirement in 1992. He was awarded Emeritus status on his retirement. He is most noted on campus as a longtime primary instructor of the required course in political science (POL 352). Carson was awarded the first Teacher of the Year prize by Geneva in 1982. In his retirement, he authored Pro Christo et Patria: A History of Geneva College, an invaluable account of the history and mission of the college. This project was undertaken on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the College. Carson also published Transplanted to America, a history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. He was a graduate of Yale University and the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 1964, he received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Pennsylvania.
"While he was a remarkably gifted teacher and scholar who impacted thousands of students through the years," says Dr. Ken Carson, Provost and nephew of the late Dr. Carson, "he was also very kind and humble. As I came to understand the depth and breadth of the intellectual gifts that God bestowed on him, his kindness and humility became all the more remarkable. While his primary vocation was as a college professor, he was also an ordained pastor, and I had the pleasure of hearing him preach from time to time. It is my strong impression that his consistent purpose in the pulpit was to ever so gently encourage the flock to rest wholly in the loving and merciful arms of Jesus Christ who paid the debt for our sins."
David is survived by his wife, Margaret, and two daughters, Elizabeth "Betsy" Wilson ′84 and Christina Townsend ′91. Betsy and her husband, Galen, live in Dayton, Ohio. Christina and her husband, Bill, have three children and live in Beaver Falls, Pa. David is also survived by his brother, James, and sister, Margaret McKee.
At the family′s request, the memorial service for David Carson will be held on Monday, August 9 at 11 a.m. in the John H. White Chapel, located on Geneva′s campus. The John H. White Chapel is not handicap accessible.
Friends will be received Sunday, August 8, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Hill & Kunselman Funeral Home, located at 3801 Fourth Avenue, College Hill, Beaver Falls, Pa.
Private interment will be in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery, New Galilee.
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