I received news this morning that David Laywer, professor of Political Science, Black Studies and Ethnic Studies at Santa Barbara City College, died last night. The details of his death are not clear to me at this point, but my best understanding is that he died due to some sort of aggressive infection brought on as a side effect of a weakened immune system, itself caused by some experimental medications that he had been taking to treat his leukemia. While these powerful drugs greatly extended his life, it appears that they also resulted in a weakening of his immune system such that he became vulnerable to other illnesses.
Prof. Lawyer and I spoke as recently as this past Sunday, when he had told me that he was in hospital and had asked me to help cover his two classes the following morning. At that time he sounded strong and confident, and I felt reassured that he would be out shortly.
As I arrived at City College this morning to meet with John Eggler, a Political Science professor helping to cover Prof. Lawyer’s classes while he was in hospital, I was informed of the news. It came as a huge shock, to say the least.
For the past two semesters I had worked as Prof. Lawyer’s instructional assistant for Political Science 101. During that time I was fortunate enough to get to know Prof. Lawyer on a somewhat personal level, including learning of his outstanding academic career (graduated Princeton), his athletic accomplishments (star basketball player in both high school and college), and of course his thirty year career in education, in which he’d helped to establish the Black Studies Department at UCSB, and served as an instructor of in the departments of Polital Science, Black Studies and Ethnic Studies at both UCSB and SBCC for nearly thirty years.
Prof. Lawyer also helped me in my own process of returning to the University to pursue a PhD. He wrote me a very kind letter of recommendation, and the experience I gained through having the good fortune of working for him is priceless.
While I mourn his death, I shall always look to his life for inspiration. My best wishes and deepest sympathies to his family and all of his friends. We have truly lost a great man.