David S. Swayze (1944-2026)

A life-long resident of Delaware, Dave came to Princeton from Wilmington’s Mount Pleasant High School, where he was student council president and member of the wrestling team.

 

At Princeton, he majored in politics and belonged to Quadrangle Club. He was active in Whig-Clio and the Pre-Law Society and on the UGC Academic Committee. His roommates included Dave Burnett, Jim Papa, and Paul Kepler.

 

After graduation, Dave moved to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Graduating in 1969, he joined a corporate law firm in Wilmington. Dave later married Carolyn De Pew-Swayze, who survives him, along with two children, Lisa and Scott. Most recently, he was a principal in the Parkowski, Guerke & Swayze law firm.

 

In addition to his legal practice, Dave was active in politics throughout his career, serving as a close advisor of leaders of both major parties, including governors and Congressional representatives.

 

For several years he was chief of staff for Governor Pete DuPont ’56. Governor John Carney awarded Dave the The Order of the First State in 2022, described by The Delaware Bar Journal as the “highest and most prestigious honor that can be bestowed by the Governor upon a citizen of Delaware and . . . given only in limited circumstances for meritorious service to Delaware and its citizens.”

I got to know Dave when he and I joined Quadrangle Club and then when I moved into the Taj and Dave lived Taj-adjacent.  Dave was a great addition to my life.  He was a smarter version of me, sharing a major in Politics and Professor Robert Faulkner as a senior thesis advisor.  I spent a weekend with Dave and his family in Wilmington and was struck that we both came from families of very modest income, both had attended public high school, and both were mediocre tennis players.  In the Spring of our junior year, Dave and Sally Bidez (his first wife to be) arranged a road trip for a few of us to go to Miami of Ohio, blind dates included in the package; the trip was 610 miles each way but I don't need to remind you that Princeton was all male.  Thanks to Dave and Sally, Carol and I had a very enjoyable blind date weekend together.  I thought Carol was wonderful and tried various ways to coax her into a return engagement at Princeton, but to no avail.  Dave and I finally came up with the plan to tell Carol that I was going to join Dave in a trip to Chicago to visit Sally over Thanksgiving, but maybe I could drop by Toledo to see Carol on the way.  Long story short,  Carol's mother ended up inviting me for Thanksgiving dinner and I stayed for the weekend, with Dave being my Princeton/Toledo roundtrip driver. After that, I finally talked Carol into visiting Princeton.  Her visit included, to quote Carol, a "hilarious" dinner with Dave and Sally in New Hope; Dave was especially witty that whole evening and I managed to keep up, thereby convincing Carol that Princeton guys had great senses of humor. My relationship with Carol accelerated from there, culminating in our getting married in Toledo in August 1966 with Dave as a groomsman.  Dave and Sally got married earlier that month and Carol remembers my being a groomsman; I do not, but memory is an erratic companion these days.

 

While it can be a challenge to maintain contact between Seattle and Wilmington, Dave and I did pretty well, aided by his visits to Western Washington while his son Scott was attending Evergreen State College in Olympia. Carol reminds me that in 1979 Dave and Sally witnessed our daughter Kate's very first crib rollover.  As an experienced parent by then, Dave explained why this was a major landmark. Also in the '70s, Dave visited Seattle to accept a major urban planning award on behalf of Governor DuPont — a significant honor for the Governor — and for Dave.  Dave was treated to a very nice hotel room in downtown Seattle, got up extra early for a jog, and was cited by the police for jaywalking (or jay-running) across an entirely empty street.  I was proud of Seattle's commitment to the rule of law but Dave was just flabbergasted — and not in a positive way.  Dave went on to have an extraordinary career contributing in many different ways to the health and well-being of Delaware and its residents, culminating in receiving the Order of the First State from the Governor for his 50+ years of service.  

 

Eventually, Dave's marriage to Sally came to an end and he later married Carolyn De Pew, who was a great partner for many reasons, including her own strong engagement in Delaware public affairs and their shared interest in public policy. Carolyn also was of tremendous support as Dave's health became more challenged in recent years. 

 

In June of 2023 Carol and I spent three days with Dave and Carolyn at their "Great Escape" in Dagsboro, Delaware — great conversations ranging from the nitty gritty to bemoaning and then solving the world's problems. By then Dave's vision was impaired, but he still saw the big picture.  Dave and Carolyn were wonderful hosts during that visit, introducing us to interesting local sites and finding a place for us to enjoy softshell crabs.  After that trip we had at least three lengthy Zoom calls with Dave and Carolyn, including last month, and we were planning a return visit either to Dagsboro or their place in Florida.  Dave was eagerly looking forward to the 60th reunion of the Overall Class and Carol and I were looking forward to sharing the reunion with Dave and Carolyn.    

 

Dave was always a joy to hang with because of his intelligence, his humor, his knowledge about politics, history, and the foibles of humanity and because he also was a great listener, full of curiosity.  He was a loyal and caring friend and he wore well over the years — even-keeled, calm, thoughtful.  From my observation these traits helped him have a strong parenting relationship with Scott and Lisa, and he certainly was proud of them — he couldn't have asked for more than a public servant daughter and a son in the music business. It is a blessing that they were able to spend a lot of time with Dave shortly before he died.

 

Here are some additional recollections of Dave Swayze, or “Swayz”  without pronouncing the “e” as we called him. I emailed with his wife, Carolyn over the weekend. The planned memorial service will not take place until “warmer weather” so nothing immediate as I understand it.

 

I roomed with Dave (and Jim Papa) in Blair both junior and senior year. We met as sophomores in a larger group that occupied a variety of rooms in Holder Tower. He had a high school sweetheart who visited Princeton for special weekends throughout those years and they married the summer after graduation with me as a member of the wedding party. A year later, Dave served as my best man at my own wedding in New Jersey to Claire.

 

Dave was a Delaware guy through and through, a fan of George Thoroughgood and the (Delaware) Destroyers and other lesser known contributors to the nation from the First State. He finished Penn Law and joined a Wilmington firm specializing in corporate affairs. We saw each other regularly in the early 80’s as Claire and I were living in nearby Philadelphia and both families had two growing children. I particularly remember the unique experience of playing tennis on the grass courts at the Wilmington CC.

 

Dave was a proud member of the Class of '66. He kept in regular contact with several friends from the class. Last summer Dave and I had lunch with Maliszewski and Steube for belated welcome to Steube who has moved to Delaware.

 

Dave struggled with macular degeneration for several years which eventually  robbed him of useful vision. In the last few months he suffered from fluid on the lungs. The actual cause of death was a concussion sustained in a fall.

 

Dave's roommates included Dick Kates (deceased) freshman year and Paul Kepler sophomore year.