David died unexpectedly on November 21, 2014. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sidney and Pauline Mesirow. In 1949 David, his parents and younger sister Louise, moved to Los Angeles, California. David excelled both academically and athletically while attending Van Nuys High School. After graduating from high school in 1956, David headed north to Portland, Oregon, to attend Reed College where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree. He would later go on to earn his Master of Arts in Teaching at Harvard University in 1962. While attending Reed College he met Margaret Strawn whom he married in 1962. The young couple decided to put down roots in Portland and David began his life-long journey as a teacher. At 24 years old, David accepted his first teaching position as a social studies teacher at Marshall High School. In 1969, David joined the staff that opened Adams High School in Northeast Portland. David and his fellow teachers at Adams pioneered a 'school within a school program' where he helped champion alternative education. While working at Adams, David helped to develop TeacherWorks, a national exchange for teacher designed curriculum materials. In 1980 David joined the Portland Night High School originally located at Adams High School and later at Grant High School. David would go on to become director of the program from 1985 until his retirement in 1998. As a long time advocate for alternative education, David was passionate about the core mission of the Portland Night High School which was to help young people complete their secondary education, especially those who would otherwise be unable to attend mainstream high school due to work or child care responsibilities. Upon his retirement, David was presented with the Rosie Bareis Award for Life Time Service to Alternative Education.
In addition to teaching, David was active in the American and Portland Federation of Teachers. David for several years served with Education Testing Service as a test development consultant and with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education as a site evaluator. David advised and served on many public boards and commissions including the Oregon State Scholarship Commission, later the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, the Fair Dismissal Appeals Board, the Governor's Task Force on College Access, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, the Oregon Commission on Public Broadcasting and the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, to name a few. In addition, David was an enthusiastic supporter of PlayWrite, and an active participant in the ASPIRE Program. In 2002 David established the Mesirow Family Scholarship Fund at the Oregon Community Foundation to help former and current students of the Portland Night High School pursue post secondary education. David's devotion to making education accessible to every student was a 24/7 endeavor and he considered himself a political irritant in the cause of education.
In retirement David helped restore The Rockery and landscape at Menucha in the Gorge, and enjoyed fishing on the Deschutes and McKenzie Rivers, gardening, calligraphy, paper marbling, along with chasing his grandsons. David was an avid cyclist and participated in several Oregon Bike Ride and Cycle Oregon events. Throughout his years as a resident of Northeast Portland, David formed many long lasting friendships and was always available to share a story, a beer and a laugh. He was not only a gentleman but also a gentle man.
David is survived by and will be missed by his loving wife Margaret, daughter Catherine, son Nicholas, daughter in law Sharnel, grandsons Navin and Suren, his sister Louise and hundreds of friends and students whose lives he touched and changed forever.
A memorial will be held for David early next year. For further information please go to www.zellerchapeloftheroses.com.
In David's memory, contributions in his honor can be made to the Dave Mesirow Fund c/o PlayWrite, P.O. Box 13420, Portland, OR 97213, or The Friends of Menucha Foundation - In Memory of Dave Mesirow, P.O. Box 8, Corbett, OR 97019.
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