David Morgan, Professor of French at Furman University, died on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 after an extended struggle with liver disease. He was fifty-three years old. His funeral took place at Mulberry Baptist Church in Charlotte on Saturday, February 9. Among the many individuals honoring Dr. Morgan was Dr. Bost, Professor of Spanish at Furman and a close friend of Dr. Morgan’s, who spoke at the service. The university held a memorial service in Dr. Morgan’s honor at Daniel Chapel on Friday, February 15.
Dr. Morgan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wofford College with degrees in French, History, and Economics. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School in 1984 and then went to work as an attorney for four years in New York City. He left his legal career to study French at Princeton University, where he was awarded his Ph.D. in 1992. Just four years after his arrival to Furman, he was awarded the Alester G. Furman, Jr. and Janie Earle Furman Award for Meritorious Teaching in 1998.
He spoke French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin fluently, and was conversant in German, Catalan, and Portuguese. Though his graduate work focused mainly on Renaissance and seventeenth-century French literature, Dr. Morgan’s chief scholarly pursuit was Latin studies. He participated in many workshops and colloquia to advance Latin as a spoken language, and put together an English-Latin dictionary informally known as the Morgan Lexicon.
Testimonies shared by Dr. Morgan’s colleagues, students, and friends offer a glimpse of the tremendous impact Dr. Morgan had on those who knew him. Anecdotes from former students attest to Dr. Morgan’s dynamism in the classroom, with more than one describing his passion for bringing texts alive by reenacting scenes using props, such as cardboard swords, that he made himself. Many cite his influence on their decision to pursue French as a major, while others write about how Dr. Morgan’s advice and expertise was paramount in helping them gain acceptance at prestigious law and graduate schools.
Endeared by his students, Dr. Morgan was also a mentor and friend to many of his colleagues. Dr. Teipen, an Associate Professor of Religion, remembers a time when he was struggling with a more-than-century-old dissertation written in Latin only to have Dr. Morgan ask for a copy of the dissertation and then send him a summarized translation of it within twenty-four hours. Dr. Bessy, Assistant Professor of French and one of many professors inspired by Dr. Morgan’s fearless teaching style, sheds light on the ability he had to challenge those around him to leave their comfort zones when she recounts how he made her perform on stage at the Francophone Talent Show. Despite being nervous and forgetting some of her lines, she looks back on this experience as an example of how Dr. Morgan showed her that having fun and learning go hand in hand.
A gifted linguist with an encyclopedic mind, Dr. Morgan was as humble and generous as he was knowledgeable. His genuine interest in, compassion for, and devotion to others earned him many dear friends.
Moving testimonies to his life and work written by those whose lives he touched can be found at facebook.com/frenchatfurman. Online condolences may be submitted to www.forestlawnwest.com.
