David Melville Carson went to be with the Lord on Aug. 5, 2010, at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was born Jan. 30, 1922, in Sparta, Ill., to Melville Kennedy and Faith (Coleman) Carson. As a teenager he moved to Seattle, Wash., a city for which he had a lifelong love. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University in 1942 and from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1945. After seminary he was ordained to the ministry and installed as pastor of the Eastvale Reformed Presbyterian Church.

While a pastor he taught several courses at Geneva College, and discovered his calling in teaching. He taught at Geneva fulltime from 1951, received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964, and retired in 1992. Many generations of students testify to his ability to engage and challenge in the classroom. He was honored with Geneva’s first Teacher of the Year award in 1982, and was appointed Samuel A. Sterrett Professor of Political Philosophy, a chair held by his grandfather, James M. Coleman. 

Playing the piano was a lifelong joy, particularly in making music with others, especially his grandchildren. He served on the boards of Beaver County Christian School and the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls. Though not a native of Beaver County, he took great interest in local history, culminating during his retirement in volunteering at the Vicary House in Freedom, Pa. His early love for the Eastvale RP Church never wavered, and he served as a faithful member and elder there as long as he was able.

He published three books, From the Study Window, a compilation of essays written for the Christian Statesman; Pro Christo et Patria, a history of Geneva College on the occasion of its sesquicentennial; and Transplanted to America, a history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. After suffering the cruel losses of Alzheimer’s, he is now fully restored in the presence of the Savior he loved and served.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Ewing Weir, whom he married Aug. 22, 1957; daughters Betsy (Galen) Wilson of Dayton, Ohio, and Christi (Bill) Townsend of Beaver Falls; grandchildren William, Daniel, and Maggie Townsend; brother James Carson of Beaver Falls; sister Margaret (Delber) McKee of New Wilmington, Pa.; brother-in-law Richard Weir of Bronxville, N.Y.; and many nieces and nephews.