I just found out about Dr. Morgan's passing.  In shock. One of the best professors I have ever had.  And such a gentle soul.  He leaves such an amazing legacy. Words are just not adequate for how many lives he touched!  Wow!

I came across this guest book tonight as I happened to be thinking about the loss of Dr. Morgan and decided to share my regrets of his early passing.  I was a senior Spanish major the first year that Dr. Morgan was at Furman, and so I never had the opportunity to take a class with Dr. Morgan, but I consulted with him extensively as I was considering applying to law school, and ultimately followed in his footsteps to Vanderbilt Law School.  I found his counsel at the time I was making this major life decision very compelling, and I often thought of him over the years as I faced the challenges I encountered in pursuing my legal career that went far less smoothly than I could have ever anticipated as I sat in his office on various occasions discussing whether or not law school was the right decision for me.  I ended up on the West Coast unexpectedly and never had the chance to follow up with him, much to my regret.  I was quite shocked to read about his passing in the Vanderbilt Law magazine that alumni receive, and incredibly saddened by his passing at such a young age.  I wish I had had the opportunity to thank him for all his help with applying to law school, and for sharing all his thoughts about why he left the practice of law.  I've been practicing law now for 16 years, and I've managed against all odds to build an international practice as I had set out to do originally and am even finally starting to pick up new prospects from the Spanish-speaking world, but I understand very well exactly why he left the practice law and from time to time reflect on the strength of character that it took to make such a decision, certainly when he was on a path in the profession that so many others aspired to reach. The practice of law is not an easy profession to pursue and it kills the spirit and soul of many along the way who get trapped in jobs that they hate.  He was a remarkable person, and his departure is a tremendous loss to the Furman community and all the lives he touched.

Not many days have passed during this year that I haven't thought of some memory of my friendship with David--from 1979 in Spartanburg, through the Vanderbilt years, trips to NYC, and in 2010 at Furman. "Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh." You are missed. --Susan Moss Stanley

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, and Dan:  I just read of David's death in the Vanderbilt Magazine.  David and I were friends at Wofford, and at Vanderbilt (he in Law, I in Divinity); I visited him when he was an attorney in New York, and we had long talks about his decision to leave law and do a Ph.D. at Princeton.  I am so very sorry that David and I had not been in contact these last few years.  David was not only a brilliant mind, but a gentle, kind soul, with a wonderful sense of humor. I think of the many times he would let me talk him into playing the Grieg Piano Concerto one more time (he played it magnificently). I would love to know more about David's final years if you care to contact me; I am an Anglican priest in Tallahassee, Florida- edudley@saint-peters.net    God's Peace,  Eric Dudley+

I remember David from West Mecklenburg High School.  We rode the bus together for a couple of years, I lived on the corner of Fallsdale Dr. & Belmorrow Dr.  I liked that David thought differently than most of the other kids at West Meck. David was the only person at West Meck. that I remember going to summer school voluntarily - because he could learn something extra - not because he needed to go to make up a class!

David was always a linguist!! Back in 1975-76 the foreign exchange student from Finland (Merja) lived with my family and rode the bus to school for a couple of months.  When David met Merja he immediately started asking about the Finnish language.  He wanted to learn Finnish and asked Merja to write out the conjugation of "I am" and a variety of other nouns and verbs - with those he could get a grasp of the language.

I saw David a few years ago while he was jogging in Coulwood, I still live in the neighborhood.  We had a 10-15 minute conversation catching up on the previous 30 years.  I am glad that I was able to see him that day and I am very sorry to hear of his passing.  David was a special man that added to the world while he was here.

I just learned of David's death by reading the Vanderbilt Law magazine. David and I were good friends in law school, and were on the Law Review together.  I moved to Texas after law school and lost touch with David after he left the firm in New York. He had the greatest wit and sense of humor. He was a kind southern gentleman.I was so sad to learn that he passed away.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,
It is almost July, and I want to let you know that even for those of us who had not been able to see David for years, because of geographical distance, his passing remains a terrible shock. I got to know David in Princeton; my husband and I saw him again in New York, and then remained in touch through a common friend... just a few weeks ago, I received a message from yet another former Princeton friend of David who lives in Paris (I'm in Brussels)and we shared our profound sadness. I join the voice of many people who have written before me in expressing immense respect and admiration for a person who was as brilliant as he was humble, a gentle, wonderful, funny, and loyal friend, an exceptional human being.  My thoughts and prayers go to you and your family.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,

I just received a copy of the Furman magazine and was shocked to read the news of the death of Dr. Morgan.  I was a Spanish major at Furman, in my third year, when Dr. Morgan arrived.  I was also taking French courses and found my way into his class.  He was a brilliant, sincere, thoughtful, creative, energetic, and motivating professor -- dragging me into more French coursework than I had intended to take.  He even asked me to serve as a teaching assistant for one of his entry level French classes, writing and enacting skits to help beginning students develop their conversational skills.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning from him and helping him teach others.  I am grateful that I got to be a part of his earliest ventures in teaching. Dr. Morgan was a tremendous asset to Furman and had a reputation that extended far beyond the classroom.  My heart is heavy with the news of his untimely death, and yet, I am not surprised to read of the courage he showed during his illness and the influence he had on so many who knew him as a teacher, a friend, a colleague, a classmate.  How blessed you were to know him as a son.  My deepest condolences to you and all your family and friends who continue to grieve.

Sincerely,

Alice Shepley
Furman University
Class of 1996

Dear Mrs and Mr Morgan,

I am sorry to be so late in bringing my condolences to you but I have just read in a Latin journal that your son David had passed away. I had met with him twice on occasion of living Latin meetings in Madrid, Spain in 1998 and in Maredsous abbey, Belgium in 2000 and even though I had no opportunity to see him after I had kept a very nice memory of him and I had regularly occasion of hearing about him through other Latin friends. I had been quite impressed by his mastering of many languages and cultures, and particularly by the fact that he was able to speak French almost as a native speaker and knew French history and literature far better than many French people. But all this was nothing compared with his human qualities and his ability to make friends with everyone so easily; he was this kind of person who makes you feel you have been knowing him for years just after a five minutes conversation. I understand it is a terrible lost for his entire family and pray for you and all his loved ones.

Robert Deprez, MD
Jodoigne, Belgium

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,

David was a very good friend of mine at Vanderbilt Law School.  Sadly, I had lost touch with him since he left the practice of law.  I just recently searched for his name online hoping to reconnect with him and learned of his passing earlier this year.  The fact that I would be trying to locate him after all these years demonstrates what a good friend he was and how much he meant to all of us at Vandy.

I was a Spanish major at Furman so my interactions with Dr. Morgan were limited and I really only knew him through his very positive reputation on campus as a wonderful professor and man. I also took French while at Furman and had the good fortune to have Dr. Morgan substitute one day of our class.  After that one memorable class, I scoured the catalog for more classes I could take that were taught by Dr. Morgan, hoping to have more exposure to this engaging professor. I'm sure I am not the only student who, even with a brief interaction, felt profoundly impacted by Dr. Morgan. I am so sory to hear of his loss and know that the university is changed by his absence.

I have just learned of David's passing.  He and I arrived at Wofford together, he as a student and I as a very junior faculty member. From the first day, I realized he was someone exceptional.  I assumed he had just returned from a year or more in France; in fact, he had never lived in France, but nonetheless spoke French beautifully and had a love and understanding for the matter surpassing what should have been possible for a recent HS graduate.  Over the course of our two years together, my appreciation of David deepened as I came to know him not just as a student but as a person and as a friend.  We worked together in organizing a small coterie of French-lovers, fine people all, with David inspiring us all, and vibrating an octave above the rest of us , yet always fresh, charming, modest, sensitive, stimulating, with a smile on his face (and a song in his heart).  Of all the students I have encountered in a career of teaching French and Latin, he stands out for his fine humanity.  I feel tongue-tied in my limited capacity to evoke David and thankful to the many who have done so better than I in this guest book, overcome by sadness at his passing and gratitude at having known him, first at Wofford as a teacher and role model, then at French literature conferences as a colleague and peer, and lastly as a fellow learner - and his disciple in both the language and the art of living - in the Tunberg intensive summer colloquia.  I have missed not crossing paths with him the last several years, and now am trying to accept the fact that our paths will not cross again.  Thank you David for all you have given me. I shall remember you always

My sincerest condolences to David's family and friends.  An irreparable loss.

Sunt quos mens luget, sunt quos     praecordia maerent,
  morte sua gemitum rarus utrique movet.
pectoris eversa est regio, vastatus et orbis
  ingenii fatis, David adempte, tuis.
nec docti doctum, philomusus nec philomusum,
  nec vili perdunt tantum homines hominem.
quis duplex nobis damnum reparaverit unus?
  quae mentem, quae cor sarciet una manus?
quis paris ingenii, paris et quis pectoris alter
  esuriem geminae solvet utramque animae?

Non licuit mihi coram cognoscere Davidem, sed fama eius per totum orbem Latinum est pervagata, et quantum haec fama fert, fuit vir immensae et eruditionis et humanitatis. Ergo par erit eum celebrari versibus quoque, et hos parvulos quidem hexametros pro mea parte afferam:

Vir bonus et prudens, multa perdoctus in arte,
dilectus multis, humanus et ingeniosus,
optimus atque magister eras lumenque Latinae
praeclarum linguae. Properasti cedere vita:
te pax alma manet, contra desiderium nos.

By happenstance my first four years as a professor at Wofford College coincided with David's undergraduate career.  I'm sure you all knew David to be soft spoken, modest, gentlemanly, scary smart, and to have an unerring ethical and moral compass.  It may shock you to learn that as an undergraduate ... he was exactly the same.  Every professor has a pantheon of a very few students they consider their best ever.  Mine numbers four, and of them David was by far the most versatile.
 Without clearly understanding why, it is widely accepted that language, music, and mathematics are closely related manifestations of the human brain.  In David Morgan this linkage found its perfect storm.  When David first took a mathematics class from me I found out how truly exceptional and wide-ranging his gifts were.  Though I knew he was a French major I shamelessly began a campaign to win him over to mathematics.  I didn't know at the time he was also majoring in history and economics.  Eventually he fell one course short of mathematics as a fourth major.  So I had to live with my status as the man who failed to convince David Morgan to dedicate himself to mathematics.  His mathematical brilliance stood him in good stead for his intention to study law, another discipline which proceeds logically from first principles.  He asked me to write a letter of recommendation to Vanderbilt Law School, and I was more than happy to oblige.  What followed was a two page single-spaced epistle of praise in which I essentially told the Vanderbilt admissions committee if they didn't enroll David they were quite simply out of their minds.  Of course they weren't and they did.  Number one in his law class.  Editor of the Law Review.  Hired directly out of law school by the New York firm of Cravath, Swain, and Moore, arguably the top corporate law firm in the United States.  Ho hum!  So what else is new?
 Four years later, my office phone rang.  It was David calling from New York.  I'm guessing David never used the word "hate" in his life, but he explained to me in his quiet way how dissatisfied he was with lawyering, citing all the reasons why lawyer jokes are so popular.  "Well David, what does your heart tell you to do?" (... and I'm thinking, "Aha, mathematics at last.") "I want to go to Princeton, get a Ph.D. in French, and become a professor."  "Oh."  If I only could have been a fly on the wall when he explained to the managing partner of Cravath, Swain, and Moore why he was giving up the practice of law.  Finally relinquishing my vicarious ambitions for David in mathematics, I agreed to write a letter of support to Princeton.  When I hung up the phone I immediately called the chairman of our French department.  We agreed we'd hope to have a French position open four years hence so we might have a chance to lure David back to Wofford.  Alas, no such position materialized, but I was happy to learn that a fine institution like Furman did have one available and had the good sense to hire David.  The memorial service in the Furman chapel on February 15 testifies that they found him every bit as brilliant and admirable as I.

Lee O. Hagglund, Ph.D.
Professor of Mathematics Emeritus
Wofford College

Dearest David, I am so sad to hear this news - it's been a long time since we were together, but we did have some occasional (and, as always with you, enlightening and amusing) phone calls down through the years.  I was your first room-mate in NYC (in Hoboken, actually) and you always referred to yourself when we spoke in subsequent years as my room-mate.  Those years in Manhattan and Hoboken with you remain very special to me, and I remember your long thought process as you made the decsion to pursue your dream and to become an academic - and to leave me without my room-mate!  I will treasure my memories of you, David, all the moreso because I did not know that you were soon to leave us.   I hope to meet your parents and Dan again - I still recall my happy visit to Charlotte with you and our expedition to the PTL campus.   Lots of love from Oxford, England, from Brian

I only spent a week with David at Rusticatio and our communication was limited by my Latin. Nevertheless, his intelligence, humor, patience and sense of enjoyment of life came through clearly. My condolences to his family and friends.

Two summers ago, I had the great fortune to study spoken Latin with David  at a week long workshop. He was the first person I met, and I will forever remember his warm and gracious smile and ability to make a person feel at home and welcomed within minutes.  Over the course of the week, I learned much from his gifted teaching methods; shared many home cooked meals and enjoyed many thoughtful and engaging conversations.  We have lost a wonderful man and a  true educator.  Ave atque vale.

Several of those at David's funeral referred to him as a "prince," and that is the way Furman faculty, staff, and students will long remember him.  Far too young to be taken from us, he left behind many tearful colleagues and disciples.  His impact on our university was immense.  His wit and intelligence were inspiring, and it will be a very long time before we grasp the fact that we will no longer be able to share anecdotes, whimsy, and serious reflections with this remarkable man!

Though unfortunately I never got to know Dr. Morgan personally during my student days at Furman, I grieve with you at his loss.

Mr and Mrs Morgan, please accept my deepest sympathy.  David was a fine and respected member of the Class of 1984 at Vanderbilt Law School. I was priveleged to be his classmate and friend.  We all had the highest regard for David and will cherish fond memories of his kindness. He touched many lives and will be missed by all.

Dr. Morgan was the leader of our Versailles study abroad group in the Fall semester of my Sophomore year at Furman University.  He allowed our group to see France as we had never dreamed before.  We really experienced the cities, countryside and the culture thanks to him.  He made us feel like a family.  He graciously accepted my request to play the piano at my wedding, and did a fabulous job.  I will always remember how he gave me a personal tour of Chartres cathedral.  I feel like I've lost a brother.  Our world will miss you, Dr. Morgan.

Lives pass before most people learn to look underneath the surface of things and personalities, beyond blonde hair, straight teeth, flashy cloths or sports car; beyond misguided interpretations. To David's intellectual and physical vision, superficial surfaces were as transparent as the panes in a kitchen window. And during the few weeks every summer when he and I would teach people to speak Latin at summer workshops, we'd take long walks – and David loved to walk – and discuss how the best teaching methods are often the opposite of what common sense seems to suggest. Almost ten years ago one of these walks was in the mountainous regions of southern Italy. As our feet slowly took us up a narrow road that snaked its way up a small summit, I shared a metaphor with David. And you need to understand, a well wrought metaphor was to David's ears and mind, what a excellent vintage is to a wine-connoisseur's palate. This turned out to be one of his favorites.
Our winding road was flanked by almond trees the entire two miles up. ''David,'' I said, ''what everybody says about life being a tree is preposterous. They say that our lives are like trees filled with leaves. As we grow older those leaves begin to fall. And that when a life ends, the leaves have all fallen and the tree withers away. But they've got it backwards,'' I explained. ''Indeed each human life is a tree. When we are born, the tree is as leafless as we are naked. As we grow and acquire knowledge, leaves begin to appear."
"Each accomplishment, new friend and good deed generates its leaf on our tree. The trees of our lives, if we cultivate friends, contribute to the beauty of this world and show kindness and respect to our fellow passengers on this small blue planet, they, these trees of us, will spread their branches, reach to the heavens and be filled with thousands of green leaves. And when we die, if we have lived well, our friends and family will find comfort and sweet memories in the shade of our trees and their thousands of leaves.'' I'm not surprised that David liked that metaphor more than any other. Though his modesty would never let him admit it, I suspect that down deep he intended to leave us all with a majestically elegant Carolina Pine filled with the leaves of life.
And I want Dan, David's brother, and Bill and Dorothy, his mother and father, to know that from an apartment in Stockholm, Sweden, my seven-year-old daughter Lovisa, 12 year-old son Axel and 16-year-old daughter Freja and my wife Maria have lost a friend; but I know that even from the snowy regions of Scandinavia, my family can see a towering Long Leaf Pine with its roots way down in the ancient soils of David's beloved Carolinas. David lives on within all of us.
And to his Latin speaking friends,
Luge´te, amici, luge´te medullitus hi^c. Nam funebri ha^c flebili poma^ deducta^ et ritibus solemniter actis, Nos Davidis memoria^ freti excitatique nostrum colloquendi morem nec non una^ conversandi melius et, inprimis, humanius collere poterimus. Ubi alii suis in provinciis zelotypia^ incensi et errores aliorum insectandi desiderio correpti neque amicitiam neque veram humanitatem collant, sequamur nos mores Davidis. Fruamur amicitia^ intima^ et ha^c nostra^ lingua^ communi utamur ad vitam iucundissime et urbanissime, ut ipse David solebet, agendam. Sit non modo Davidi terra levis, verum potius sit eius memoria, sit eius humanitas, sit erga omnes eius mirifica benignitas, sint haec omnia nobis exempla diligentissime observanda, perinde ac alto in mari nautis Stella illa Septentrionalis refulget.

David was entirely the embodiment of Intaminatis Fulget Honoribus that is Wofford. Even if I had his gift for language, or his sensitivity, his wit, his charm, and all talents of this great and humble man of parts, I could not express the loss. He will remain the young, gifted, undergraduate whose every word was music and whose musical talent, like all his talent, seemed to spring wihout effort. What a light in this world he has lit.

David taught a class on Proust at FULIR-Furman University Learning In Retirement-That was 12 years ago and that is when I knew he was a special human being, brilliant humble and kind. He even delivered sections of Proust's in the original French to my mailbox and to other's mailboxes. Last time I spoke to him, begging him to teach
some other French literature course at OLLI, he agreed to do Corneille and Racine. Alas, that will never be.
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,your son was a wonderful man who touched many lives, young and old.May you find some comfort in feeling that your suffering is shared by so many
of us who knew him.
Natalina Ferlauto, Greenville SC

I wish the best for David's family, and for those he held close in these last years who were fortunate enough to call him friend.  I knew David for many years from junior high through high school and beyond college graduation, and have many fond memories of him as he went through law school, held a position as an attorney, went back to school at Princeton, and beyond.  He was not only intelligent, he had a wonderful sense of humor, and delighted in learning and sharing with others. God bless you David, always.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to speak yesterday at David's service, to hear the eloquent and heartfelt words of his friends, to honor his family, pray together, and celebrate his life. Here are my words:
 
For almost twenty five years now I have been trying to praise David Morgan, but unfailingly he forestalled my attempt. Now at last, he is not here to do so, but I would gladly trade singing his praises, were he here to deflect cheerfully once again my doing so.
I have loved David from the first moment we met, when we learned that we shared a love for music, literature ancient and modern, and God. In New York City, walking up and down and around the island of Manhattan and neighboring boroughs, we talked and laughed and dreamed: of hiking together through France and Spain on the trail of St. James, of making music together into our old age, of languages learned, of otium (leisure) spent together in retirement reading foreign languages together and, last but not least, of continuing our ongoing discussions, philosophical and theological, into old age.
I thank God that we were able to realize much of this, hiking together in France and Spain, making music together on countless occasions, and best of all carrying on our many conversations in mutual love and support. Wondrously, David became a beloved part of my family, loving Bernardine, my wife, and each of my children as if each were the only person on earth. David had more talents than we could possibly name – he was a genius, and if I had more time I could tell many humorous stories documenting that fact – but to my mind the best talent of them all was his saintly ability to devote his whole gracious attention and evident charity to each and every person he was with. I shall ever treasure my memories of David's walking around Greenville speaking Latin and French with Jack, of his teaching music composition to Tess, of his reading aloud to Peter, of his gracious charm praising Nia's Parisian French to locals in Southwestern France, and last but not least discussing literature with my Bernardine.
I must also praise here his parents and family, whom David spoke to me about constantly ever since I met him. It was indeed a great privilege and blessing to be with you all, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and Dan, throughout last weekend; it was an especially great privilege and blessing to be able to pray with you and David. Know that you all and David will be ever in our prayers. It was also beautiful, when he reminded me last Saturday that it was through your prayers that he landed his dream job at Furman back in 1995, where he flourished in so many ways. He has never ceased marveling about the talents and goodness of his many colleagues and friends and students at Furman, and we shall always treasure the stories he shared with us about them.
St. Augustine, whom David and I read and loved together for decades, was surely right in saying that to die young is a great blessing. I understand that. Nevertheless, it is fitting to grieve the loss of such a beautiful man and such a dear friend.
Please excuse my addressing a few words in Latin to David directly:
Maturius aequo nos reliquisti, amice carissime. Mox tamen, ut credo, quia tempus ineluctabile fugit in aeternum, te iterum videre poterimus. Periucundum erit mihi meisque apud patris domum te revisere.

I remember listening to far-off broadcasts from Havana and Moscow in David's house when we were kids (and reading way-cool and forbidden communist propaganda leaflets they sent him when they realized he was listening in).  How odd and other-worldly that seemed, and how cool to have a friend â€” just another neighborhood kid â€” who could actually explain how vacuum tube radios worked!  God rest you, Mr. David.  I wonder if you ever knew how many lives you touched?

To the family of David Morgan: I pray for Grace and Strength of God over your family as you go through this time of grief. As a former student of his, I can say that you can indeed be very proud of your son. He was a brilliant man, but such a GOOD man too. He always treated his students with great respect and encouraged them to overcome their difficulties in their studies. He will be so very missed.

Merci, cher professeur.  May your family and friends find peace in knowing he touched so many with his enthusiasm and love of learning and teaching.  You are in my prayers.

May God's grace and peace bring comfort to all who mourn the loss of this very gifted, kind-hearted friend. We remember many things about David's exceptional abilities and talents but particularly loved hearing him play the piano with expertise that was unrivaled. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and family, you are in our prayers.

To Dr Morgan's family and friends,
There will come a time when death will no longer claim the lives of our loved ones. 1 Cor. 15:26

Our Deepest Sympathies

Vale, o David, Latinitatis columen, in perpetuum vale. 
Sit tibi terra levis. 

Thank you for all that you taught me.

To Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and Dan,

As my friend Muriel O'Tuel says, there are people who leave beautiful,indelible footprints on our hearts--and David is one of those wonderful individuals. Whether sharing an intense conversation while at Wofford College, singing and dancing on tour with Glee Club, sharing a laugh around the lunch table, or rescuing me from the YMCA in New York, David always made my heart smile. The world is a much better place for his being here. His tremendous gifts --his intellect, sense of humor, generosity and kindness (just to name a few)--blessed so many lives across the globe. What continues to amaze me about David is that he can do just about anything--and do it exceptionally well and with such grace. 

My family's thoughts and prayers are with you.

To the famIly and friends of Dr. Morgan able to be at the memorial service, please know that there are many more unable to be present for whom David had a tremendous impact, overwhelmingly positive and inspirational. A man of brilliant kindness, he was a guide for his students in more than language studies; he was a gentleman and a role model. My prayers and condolences to his family.

David was a phenomenal teacher, a gracious and kind individual, and an enormous asset to Furman University.  He will be missed deeply by his students, colleagues, and friends.

David was a close friend from fifth grade through high school, living in the same neighborhood, attending the same church for a while. I'll never forget his wit and wisdom, and regret not keeping in touch. My thoughts and prayers to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and Dan.

Dr. Morgan was a true highlight of my studies at Furman. I fondly remember his outstanding kindness and warmth. He will be greatly missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with David's parents and his brother. May you find comfort and peace in God's love.

Ave, David.  Hodie munus mortis tibi datur; immo mutis cineribus tuis. In Paradisum deducant te Angeli, nos autem flentes cum poeta Romanorum suavissimo clamamus in perpetuum, frater, "ave atque vale."

Though I only took one class with him, Dr. Morgan was one of my favorite professors during my time at Furman.  His warmth, energy, and enthusiasm were contagious, and I looked forward to seeing him in class every day.  I'll always remember him trying in vain to teach me to roll my 'Rs' during the oral component of our final exam and finally telling me nevermind through his laughter.  Dr. Morgan was a bright spot of my college time and he will be missed greatly by all of us who had the pleasure of knowing him.

I knew David through my sister, and we even visited him when he lived in NYC area. During the whole time I knew of David and the times I actually was in his presence, I found him to be kind and with that sense of humour that can make one laugh out loud. I was always impressed by his grasp of knowledge and his zest for knowing our world. David, you will be missed. I know many of your friends are missing you now and my heart goes out to your family.

My condolences to Davids family.  May the Lord give you comfort.

David taught me many things during the few times I was privileged to be in his company. He was so gracious to me and kind, so filled with good humor and wit. Of the many things he taught me, this expression is lodged in my mind and heart, and I think of him each time I use it: tibi omnia quae bona, "May you enjoy all that is good." I pray the same for his family now. O eruditissime Latinae et amicitiae quae nos fovent amator, in pace iam requiescas et diem in ultimum spe beata resurgaris.

David and I grew up on the same street, took classes together all throughout grade school, junior high, and senior high school. We even both majored in French, although I didn't go the extra mile that he did! I am so glad to have called him friend, even though we haven't seen each other in decades. Heaven is a brighter, smarter place now. Adieu, mon ami!

As a student at Furman, I had the great fortune of traveling to France with Dr. Morgan in 2003.  His zest for travel, culture, and language were contagious.  To this day, I can still see him--our fearless leader--nearly bouncing through the streets of Paris, filling our minds with historical details and gifting us with vocabulary and cultural competence.  

Dr. Morgan's patience, humility, intelligence, and compassion left quite an impression on me and countless other students.  

In a phone conversation while he was hospitalized, Dr. Morgan described to me the great blessings he had received since becoming ill.  He spoke of dear friendships and of all that he had learned to appreciate.  

I have never met someone like Dr. Morgan, and I will always cherish the lessons he taught--in the classroom and through his honest, sincere, and joyful living.

Repose en paix, notre cher ami,

Lindsay

David was a neighbor and friend of mine in junior and senior high schools, and though unfortunately we had lost touch throughout the years, I will always hold the most fond memories of him. Though obviously brilliant, David had a tremendous sense of humor that we mere mortals could understand and love. Heaven just got a lot smarter and funnier. Morgan family, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

I will always remember David's intelligence, generosity, and kindness. I first met him during a full-immersion Latin experience in Lexington, KY, and thereafter had the pleasure of crossing paths with him in Hungary, and most recently in Charles Town, WV, where he was an integral part of Rusticatio, a summer Latin workshop. David's erudition was immense but his presence kind, soft, humble, and unintimidating. I didn't know him that well, but when I was talking to him, he made me feel like there was nowhere in the world he would rather be than right there at that moment, engaged in that conversation. It's rare to feel someone so intensely in the present with you. David seemed to make everyone feel that way, which is a true testament to his humanitas.

May our heavenly father give you peace and comfort at this time of sadness.  Arjorie Fields  Concord  N.C.

David, I enjoyed our Swedish conversations.
Hej då vän.

Dr David Morgan was a man of good character. He was quite knowledgeable and loved to impart whatever he knew. He was a passionate and inspiring teacher AND person. He was a gentle soul: he was always encouraging and understanding as well.  Indeed he will be missed but we, who have been so greatly impacted by him, ought to continue his legacy by emulating his outstanding qualities.

I met David when I was 10 years old and he's always been in my heart.  There's a vacuum in the universe where he lived and I am sad at the loss of someone who was a great friend for so many years, so many years ago.  David, I hope you have a pet aardvark in heaven!

I met David in KY and was struck then by his vast knowledge, his kindness to others and his great enthusiasm for teaching and for the Latin language. Since that time, he has helped me and others with spoken Latin on a number of occasions, and he volunteered his time for my own students at a magical day on the Furman campus. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Quamvis defuerit mihi voluptas Davidem his in terris conveniendi, honestas eius necnon quantum ipse contulerit in Latinam Linguam fovendam haud ignota sunt mihi. Qua de causa facere non possum quin summo dolore lacrimas effundam de maturo decessu eius. Eadem quae parentes, frater atque tota eius familia, necnon omnes amici amicaeque graviter sentiunt, me consentire profiteor. Requiescat in pace.

Although I never had the pleasure of meeting David, I knew of his outstanding reputation as an ardent and tireless promoter of Living Latin. As a papal Latinist, not a day goes by when I don't avail myself of his invaluable Latin dictionary. I express my heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends, and I assure them of my prayers in Rome.

Monsignor Daniel Gallagher
The Vatican

David was a highly gifted student, yet modest and unassuming. His doctoral thesis was first-rate, an unusual study for which he was uniquely prepared by his previous legal training. Notable Eastern and Midwestern universities vied for his services after he got his Ph.D. and he did spend a couple of years at one of them. But it is characteristic of the fine and sensitive human being he was that he chose to return to the part of the country in which he was raised in order to give back something of what he had received from it. I was his thesis director. I remember him with great fondness and great respect. His passing, at such a young age, has deeply saddened all those of us who knew him in the Princeton department of Romance Languages.
Lionel Gossman, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University

So strange to hear David referred to as Dr. Morgan, but I always knew he would do great things.  In high school at West Meck, David was one of the most brilliant people I had ever met, and still one of the nicest, friendliest guys.  Always had a smile, and was always willing to help those of us not quite as blessed intellectually.  My prayers go out to his family.

To the Morgans;
We so enjoyed having David as our friend at Wofford and in the years following.  He was so bright and funny and he treated us like family when we visited him in Nashville and New York.  We will miss him greatly and we know you will as well.  You are all in our prayers.  May God bless you and comfort you all.

David Morgan was a wonderful person, phenomenally gifted and exceptionally kind. My heart goes out to his family and his many friends.

I didn't know Dr. Morgan; however, my daughter had him for class last semester at Furman.  She always talked about how smart and kind a person he was.  She learned so much from him, and I know she will miss him, as will the entire Furman community.  Prayers to his family!

David Morgan was the ideal Man of Letters: gentle, humane, intensely curious, and devoted to teaching. The Furman community and the world are both much richer for having known him, and poorer for his loss.

David was the smartest, wittiest, most gentle person I have ever known. Vale frater. Gratias tibi ago quod licuit mihi tecum esse, licet breviter, in hac vita. Vale atque vale iterum.

Dr. Morgan changed so many students lives. He embraced life to its fullest. We can only hope to live the same.

I am praying for all of Dr. Morgan's family and friends. I was lucky enough to have him as a professor for just one semester and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have learned from him. He was an incredibly kind and passionate teacher and he will be greatly missed.

Davidis mortem, quocum doctissimo et humanissimo viro seminaria quaedam 'Latinitati vivae' dicata participavi, ex animo lugeo. 
Victorius Ciarrocchi, Italus Pisaurensis (ex urbe Italica quae 'Pesaro' vocatur).

Dr. Morgan's family are in my thoughts - he was a great guy and so incredibly smart. Highly respected by all who knew him. Such as loss.

Dona ei requiem, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei: requiescat in pace!  Te, David carissime, desiderabimus!

I had the privilege of studying Latin with David for a week during a summer experience in 2004. He was a very kind and supportive teacher. His immense knowledge of the language was never intimidating, and he made sure to include everyone in his lessons, conversations and activities. I regret that I was not able to work with him since, but I will not forget his influence on me and on countless other students.

OBITUARY

David Wells Morgan

July 22, 1959 – February 6, 2013

McEwen Funerals & Cremations at Forest Lawn West

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