Dave was an incredibly important mentor for me as a graduate student at OU. He shaped my ways of thinking and talking about language and power, which I have attempted to pass on to new generations of writers and teachers. Just imagine all of these “little David Mairs” dancing in our heads and nudging our tongues! 

Dave: I’ll continue to try to appreciate jazz with your intensity (not there yet!), and I promise one day to read Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. I’ll always hold on to our conversations and remember you and Karen with fondness.

I was so sad to hear about David’s passing. I felt incredibly lucky to come up through the ranks of faculty when David was Chair. David wore his smarts, accomplishments, and truly exceptional administrative skills lightly.  Institutions with long histories, often work with invisible hierarchies and equally invisible processes. David worked incredibly hard as Chair to make the English department’s processes democratic and transparent and to make sure that students, staff, and faculty were treated with equal respect.  His commitment to democracy and fairness was matched by the administrative chops that made those values thrive. Part of his unique brilliance as an administrator was how closely he held his cards to his chest amidst the tumult of broader university politics, steering clear of the worst, while steadfastly doing his part to make the university a better place for everyone. When asked how he navigated the rough seas of university politics, he could be wry and understated: “I make it a rule to wait a full day before I send that email.” I admired the way as a mentor he was generous with his time and happy to provide advice when asked.  But he also consciously stood back, demonstrating confidence that we could and should find our own ways to do our jobs.

David Mair was my Chair in the English department at OU for about twelve years. I can unequivocally say that despite being a no frills, no flash kind of guy, those twelve years, in my humble opinion, were the most peaceful and democratic time in the department during my two decades plus, as a faculty member. David had what I consider to be highly evolved ethics. Whether he took to someone or not, his treatment of them was fair and even-handed. David singled me out for a leadership role at an early stage of my career and sent me to attend the requisite workshops. He saw me as someone with the skill set to chair the department and with this as a possibility, I shadowed him for a year. During that time, he taught me about budgets, conflict resolution, managing a large unit as well as the nuances, hidden and overt, of higher administration and its foibles. The confidence he had in me and the generosity with which he shared his knowledge and encouraged me, was unparalleled. While I only served the department as interim chair, the training and insight he gave me has served me well throughout my career in leadership roles that I have taken on since then. I hereby lift my proverbial glass to a man who I experienced as kind, of high moral character, humble and capable of change and transition in a world in which these traits are rare. David: may there be a star in the cosmos that twinkles with the light and energy of what you brought to this realm. May your ride out be sweet.
Catherine A. John

So very sad to hear this news.  David was a truly excellent Chair of English, as fair, democratic, and transparent as they come.  But even more, he was a  good friend and mentor.  I never went fishing with him, as so many did, but so happy to see this happy picture of him by the sea.  Rest in peace, friend.

David was an exceptional teacher and mentor, and I’m grateful that I got to know him during my time at OU. I love how much he appreciated the graduate student community, and the extent to which he gave us his time, both academically and socially. I learned so much from him, just sitting at the bar, having conversations about anything and everything.

I met Dr. Mair as a young(ish) grad student in the late 90’s. He led me and the rest of the class through intensive training to teach Freshman Comp and did so in an exceptionally short period of time. One afternoon Dr. Mair was wrapping up a session and was dressed in his regular summer attire: jeans shorts, Hawaiian shirt, and flip flops. One of my colleagues asked about a dress code for the TAs. Dr. Mair leaned back against the desk, smiled, and said something to the effect of “I’m sure there is one, but I’ve never seen anyone violate it.”  We became great friends that summer and spent a lot of time together before I ultimately graduated law school in 2006. He was a brilliant mind, talented educator, and all-around fantastic human being. The world feels much less full and dynamic without him in it.  He will be sorely missed.

Wonderful mentor and teacher. Thank you, Dr. Mair -- Dave -- for all you gave to your students. I still remember your kindness. You made my dear friend, Karen, so happy! Rest in peace, kind soul.
Lynn

David taught me how to teach. I first met him in the summer of 2003 as an incoming MA student at OU. I was 22 years old and only thought I knew the first thing about leading a classroom; David made sure that by the first day of my first class, I actually did know at least enough to keep afloat. I went on to learn more about teaching from David in the three years I worked with him than from any other person during the 16 years I taught college English. 

But David was more than a teacher and mentor. He was a friend. One of my most cherished memories from grad school is of joining David once a week with a close friend and classmate of mine. We had weekly department happy hours every Friday, but every Thursday, Aaron Cerny and I would snag a table at The Library, summon David over from his barstool, and monopolize his time for hours on end. There would sometimes be more of us any given Thursday, but most often it was just the three of us. We talked literature, higher ed, pedagogy, politics, cuisine, music, geography. He humored and entertained us, bringing far more to the conversation than we did, I’m sure. 

I only saw David a handful of times after moving out of Oklahoma for good in 2011. The last time I saw him was at his retirement party out on his ranch. He was surrounded by dozens of current and former students whose lives and careers he touched. And this cohort of students only worked with him the last decade or so of his career. You could staff an entire English department with teachers he trained. 

The English Department at OU was a special place, and David was at the center of it. I’ll miss him, and I can’t imagine how many others will, too.

What an outsized influence David has had on my education and my life.  Like so many others, he made we welcome in his office and in his home.  He was a superlative teacher and leader.  It was a great privilege to learn from him and work under him.  I will remember him warmly always.  My heart goes out to his family and to the enormous community of students and teachers who grieve his passing and celebrate his life.

OBITUARY

Dr. David Clare Mair

November 5, 1949 – June 27, 2025

Primrose Funeral Service

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