David S. Nivison
Jan. 17, 1923-Oct. 16, 2014
Los Altos, California
David S. Nivison, 91 years old, and a resident of Los Altos, California since 1952, died Oct. 16, 2014 at home. His neighbors had recently honored him as the ?Mayor of Russell Ave., in recognition of 62 years of distinguished living? on that street.
He was born January 17, 1923 in Farmingdale, Maine. In 1944 he married Cornelia (Green), who died in 2008. He was the loving father of Louise McCoy (husband Lee) of Pettigrew, AR; Helen T. Nivison, of Ithaca, NY; David G. Nivison of Soquel, CA; and James N. Nivison (wife Lolly) of Los Altos, CA. There are six granddaughters: Joanna, Marina, Audrey, Camilla, Chelsea, and Maya. He had one great grandson, Noah.
David is also remembered by his caregivers of recent years: Alicia Lopez, Alix Miranda, and Siony Bueno. The family is grateful for their help and affection.
David graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 1946 (class of 1944). His college years were interrupted by WWII, when he served in the Army Signal Corps as a translator of Japanese. He completed his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1953. He was a member of the Stanford University faculty from 1948 until retirement in 1988. Numerous awards honored David during his career, including the Prix Stanislas-Julien in Paris in 1967 for his book The Life and Thought of Chang Hsueh-ch?eng, as well as a year-long Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973. During his many years at Stanford, David divided his time between the departments of Philosophy, Asian Languages, and Religious Studies. He retired from Stanford as the Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor of Oriental Philosophies, Religions and Ethics. His major work after retirement was a book titled The Riddle of the Bamboo Annals. He was working on final details of a Chinese translation of this book at the time of his death.
David was a consummate scholar and interested in all things large and small, including classical music, garden design, improvements to a summer cottage on an island in Maine, canoeing and camping (long ago), and world politics. He and his brother Bill sometimes entertained family by reading poems by their great uncle, E. A. Robinson. David described his intellectual fields as old Chinese philosophy (and intellectual history), moral philosophy (weakness of will), chronology of ancient China (including bone and bronze inscriptions), and also modern American poetry (E. A. Robinson, in particular).
David?s ashes will be interred at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA, next to those of his wife. A graveside ceremony will take place mid-summer, 2015.
Tags: veteran, teacher/educator
