Joel David Price

David was born in Commerce, Texas on August 18, 1944 to Joel and Mary Price. After spending his formative years in the east Texas town of Mineola, David matriculated to Southwestern University, earning a degree in mathematics in 1966. There he met the love of his life, Elise Ann Zerr. After marriage, David completed Master’s work at the University of North Texas and additional graduate study at the University of Utah.

Although David’s initial profession was as an aerosystems engineer at General Dynamics, the call to teaching, which was ever present in his family, beckoned. He joined the staff of Tarrant County College in 1976, beginning a journey in which he would profoundly influence the lives of thousands of students over a forty-three year career. `

Being a student of David Price was truly watching a master of his craft at work. You will never find someone so calm and patient as he applied various methodologies to help all students appreciate the beauty of mathematics. In particular, David sought to humanize the subject through the lenses of history and philosophy. His fervent belief in the benefits of the humanities led him to be a founding faculty member of the Cornerstone program at TCC, allowing students to explore the liberal arts about which he was so passionate. A consummate teacher of all levels of mathematics, David was honored for his work many times, and his being named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in 2007 was one of his proudest achievements. David retired as Professor Emeritus in 2019.

David was a voracious reader, world traveler, and proud grandparent. His home library comprising works in diverse subjects of history, science, economics, and linguistics exemplifies the fact that there were few topics in which David was not conversant. David and Elise used their school breaks to travel the world. Favorite destinations included exploring the history of Virginia, visiting family in Pennsylvania, and cruising around Europe. David took great joy in his role as “Daddy D”, as he loved seeing his grandchildren explore their world and share his passion for learning.

David is survived by his wife Elise, son Paul (Lenore), grandson Micah, granddaughter Kiersten, brother Wayne (Jon), and treasured nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will take place at Moore Bowen Road Funeral Home in Arlington, TX at 11 AM on Friday, September 23 with reception immediately following. Visitation will take place on Thursday, September 22 from 6 to 8 PM, at the same location. David’s family asks that if you are so moved, please consider making a donation to Trinity Valley School in his memory.