F. David Aberdeen (b. July 10, 1930, Detroit, MI; d. Sept. 23, 2009) was a public school teacher and administrator in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Obituary

Aberdeen, F. David

Age 79, died September 23 2009. Born on July 10, 1930 in Detroit, MI the only child of Albert Frank Aberdeen and Leona Winifred Cozzens Aberdeen. In 1961, David married Virginia Ray Ackley of Oakdale California. They were married 36 years when she predeceased him in 1997. Together they had two sons, David Hall and John Stuart. David spent his first 8 years in Detroit before moving to Portage Lake, where he graduated from Pinckney High School in 1948. He attended Albion College in his freshman year before transferring to the University of Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1952 and then earned a Masters degree in education from the University of Michigan in 1954. He began his long public school career in Chicago, where he taught elementary school for five years, as well as night classes in English as a Second Language. He then returned to Ann Arbor where he would spend the rest of his professional career working for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. He worked first as an elementary school teacher and later as an administrator, at different times serving as Deputy Superintendant and principal of Thurston and Burns Park elementary schools. An early advocate of equal opportunity for all students, he spent a year with the Mott Foundation in Flint, after which he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1969. After retiring from Burns Park in 1988, he continued to work for the Ann Arbor Administrators Association until earlier this year. He also served on the board of the Pinckey Community Schools Alumni Association, chairing the scholarship committee. He chose the perfect profession as it allowed him to express his lifelong passion for teaching and learning. In 1988 the Michigan State Senate passed a concurrent resolution (No. 672) offering tribute to honor David's contributions to public education. Along with his family, his other great loves were music, literature and the arts. Possessing an uncanny ability to remember the lyrics to any song he was unbeatable at "Name that Tune". His love of words was reflected in his unique writings, his large collection of books and his ability to quote from almost any poem, book or movie. David was never a stranger in any group - if he met you, he was your friend. He is survived by his two sons, David Hall Aberdeen of San Francisco California, and John Stuart Aberdeen of Arlington Massachusetts, and a host of friends, colleagues and former students. A memorial will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 3rd, in the Ballroom of the Michigan League, 911 N. University Avenue in Ann Arbor. David was a lifelong advocate of public education and to honor him donations in his memory may be made to the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation (http: //aapsef.org/)


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