David Barrett Haller Best

Born on June 3, 1928, David Barrett Haller Best, at the age of 95, was making plans to travel with his wife Judith LaFourest. First by train across Canada in October, then in 2024 visit London again, as well as a river cruise down the Danube. Healthy and active most of his life, he was in and out of Community Hospital North in May and June with a persistent ailment. Unexpectantly while there, he died of a cardiac arrest on June 29, 2023.

From a handwritten draft he wrote:

If you are reading this obituary, it simply means that I, David Barrett Haller Best, have departed my worldly life and have joined my parents and four siblings in our heavenly home.

Born in Rock Island, Illinois, I was the fourth of five children. Our family dealt with the Great Depression. I belonged to the "clean plate society," was a perennial saver, a recycler, and a radio aficionado all my life.

In 1933 my Dad was searching for a job. To find better employment opportunities we moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. There, I attended IPS School 76, followed by Arsenal Technical High School (TECH), which was also attended by my older brother Steve and my youngest sister Juleanne. At Tech, I lettered in baseball and track, and was sportswriter for the Arsenal Cannon, Tech's school paper. On a scholarship I attended Harvard College, graduating in 1950.

I volunteered for the United States Air Force (USAF) and was a distinguished graduate of OCS (Officer Candidate School). While in service, I was asked to teach GED classes. My final assignment was as an administrative officer in the headquarters of the USAF Air Weather Service in Bushy Park, near London, which was General Eisenhower's headquarters during WWII for the planning of D-Day. I was in London during the big fog of 1952 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. I received my honorable discharge from the USAF as a first lieutenant in September 1953 and returned home to Indianapolis.

Following in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, I became an Indiana Registered Land Surveyor, joining my father as a partner in Henry L. Best and Son, with other engineers and surveyors. Upon my father's retirement I joined the BDA Corporation, the architectural wing of Cloverleaf Properties, later Dominion Realty, as vice president. I was also the surveyor-in-residence for the firm. In 2008, I retired at the age of 80.

Interspersed through my working years I became actively involved in Toastmasters and earned the designation of "Distinguished Toastmaster." I was past president of three Toastmasters clubs, as well as the Propylaeum Historical Foundation, The Indianapolis Literary Club, and the Harvard Club of Indiana. I am a Kentucky Colonel.

I have been called "The Tie Guy" for my collection of some 2400 men's neckties and my program "Tie One On." Whenever I ventured out, I would be sporting a necktie. This habit dates to my high school and college days, especially my four years at Harvard where students were required to wear a coat and tie in the freshman and upperclassman dining halls. Now, our world is a "casual" society.

I'm also addressed as "Mr. Jefferson," "President Washington," and "Your Honor the Marquis." For almost fifty years I have presented programs in the persons of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette to some 400-plus audiences from kindergartners to attendees of national convocations. I have read and have a collection of over 400 books relating to the life of Thomas Jefferson.

As the leader of three People to People International trips for U.S.A. Land Surveyors, I traveled to Egypt and Greece, to China and Hong Kong, and to Russia and Finland. We met with our counterparts at universities in the major cities of these countries.

My first wife Mary Sue Smith Best and I were about to celebrate our 57th wedding anniversary when she unexpectedly died of a heart attack in 2013. Our only child was Melanie Sue Best who died December 26, 2021, after a four-year battle with cancer of the liver.

In 2014, I married Judith LaFourest. Judith is a retired English professor of over 30 years. She taught at O.I.C. (Opportunities Industrialization Center,) Butler University, IUPUI, University of Indianapolis, and Ivy Tech Community College. It is a distinct pleasure for me to have "adopted" her daughter, Bethanne Gruner Lugar, (David) and her son Paul LaFourest (Emily).

For 17 years (until 1999) I was also a member of the adjunct faculty as an associate professor at the Purdue University School of Engineering and Construction Technology at IUPUI. I taught courses in surveying and mapping.

What kind of a person am I? I have always been an easy-going person with a boisterous laugh. Frequently you would hear me compliment courteous men by simply saying "You're a good man!"

I place great importance on religious leadership. I was an elder at Fairview Presbyterian Church. I have been a Methodist, a Southern Baptist, and an American Baptist. So, you can say I am a many-faceted Christian. The late Billy Graham is high on my list as a role-model Christian.

The most intoxicating beverage for me is Diet Coke. I do not smoke. Never have. For some forty years I took an hour's walk every morning, several days a week. A new right hip ended my daily walks. Then I rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes every morning. I have my second pacemaker.

Reading is a vocation Judith and I share. I have some 3000 books in my library to which we continually add more.

It's been a good and productive life for me. I cherish my wife Judith, and my new family. Bethanne is my second daughter, and Paul is the son I had always wanted. I love the children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren I did not have before I married Judith. At the age of 92, in March of 2020, I held a great- grand baby in my arms.

I am an amateur gardener. Each Spring there are some 1000+ tulips, gladiolas, peonies, daffodils, rose of Sharon, and many other species in bloom in the yard that I've enjoyed for 60 years at the same address. In honor of Mr. Jefferson, I have cultivated a mini-Monticello Garden. All the plantings are indigenous to the plants and flowers that grow in the garden at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia.

One of the greatest experiences of my life was when I was a member of the Indiana Honor Flight No. 30, in 2018, a flight for veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery where we witnessed the "Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I am proud to be a Free Mason and I enjoy being a member of the (Military) Service Club. I love our country and all it stands for as a beacon for the rest of the world.

*******

David Barrett Best was the last survivor of his immediate family. He was preceded by his father, Henry Lambert Best, mother Madeline Lawrence Best, brothers Henry and Steven, and sisters Juleanne Best Schmidt and Patricia Best.

Other family members include many nephews and nieces, especially his nephew Peter Schmidt (Carolin) and other relatives. Many friends will miss him.

There will be a private inurnment at Crown Hill Cemetery.

To honor David Barrett Best you may leave comments, memories, photos, etc. at www.dignitymemorial.com

Memorial contributions in his name may be made to: The Oaks Academy, 1301 E. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, Contact Name: Andrew Hart, CEO website: www.theoaksacademy.org (Note: Scholarships).

Also, memorial contributions may be made to: Arsenal Technical High School, P.O. Box 11433, Indianapolis, IN 46201. (Note: Scholarships).