University Newswire
Contact:
Scott Bigelow | 910.521.6351 | scott.bigelow@uncp.edu
University Communications and Marketing
Friday, February 11, 2005
David Vanderhoof taught criminal justice at UNCP
David J. W. Vanderhoof, associate professor of criminal justice at UNC Pembroke, died in his sleep Feb. 9, 2005.
The
visitation for Prof. Vanderhoof is scheduled for 6 – 8 p.m. on Sunday,
February 13 at Saint Luke United Methodist Church in Laurinburg, N.C.
An on-campus memorial service for Prof. Vanderhoof will be held at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 15 at the Water Feature and Amphitheater on the UNCP campus.
A Laurinburg, N.C., resident, Prof. Vanderhoof is survived by his wife, Mary Sandra Taylor; two adult daughters, Cherie Petersen of Salt Lake City, Utah and Shawna Butler of Auckland, New Zealand, five brothers, one sister and five grandchildren.
Prof. Vanderhoof, 61, completed his undergraduate work at Utah State University and received a law degree from University of Utah College of Law in 1968. He returned to Temple University School of Law in 1988 to study and teach. At Temple, Vanderhoof received his Master of Laws (L.L.D.) degree and taught business and law there prior to joining the UNCP faculty.
Prof. Vanderhoof had a 20-year career in law as a prosecutor and defense counsel, and he practiced both criminal and civil law. He specialized in federal cases involving a wide variety of issues from free speech to the death penalty.
Prof. Vanderhoof was a fun-loving and caring man, said Dr. Thomas Leach,
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“
Prof. David Vanderhoof brought a unique quality of ‘sharing
my dream of America,’ as he put it, to the classroom,” Dean
Leach said. “He loved to have fun and was serious about the
pursuit of lifelong learning, which he viewed as the real basis of
happiness.”
Dean Leach remembered several of Prof. Vanderhoof’s writings.
“
He wrote: ‘I take my creed as an educator from a song “We Who
Believe In Freedom” by Sweet Honey In The Rock, into every classroom.
It influences all my preparation, encounters with students and my desire
to help.’ He loved interacting with people,” Dr. Leach said.
“He wrote: ‘That which touches me most is that I had a chance
to work with people. Passing on to others—that which was passed on
to me.’ He saw himself in a grand tradition, serving his fellow humans,
and having a good time in the process,” he said.
“
One of his students wrote: ‘You make us learn something while
we are having fun.’ He enlivened learning and showed us how
to enjoy the process,” Dr. Leach said. “We shall miss
him.”
The department has lost a valued colleague, said Dr. Sherry Edwards, interim chair of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice.
“David Vanderhoof has been a valued faculty member of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice since 1995,” Dr. Edwards said. “He actively spearheaded efforts to improve the criminal justice curriculum, and has also been involved in the North Carolina Mock Trial Programs at high schools around the state.
“In David’s own words, ‘I hope to replicate what some un-thanked person did for me, so many years ago to ignite a desire to learn and help others,’” she said. “And when that happens, like when I know I’ve touched a student, I understand why I teach and break into song”.
“The department and his students will deeply miss David,” the department chair said.
At UNCP, Prof. Vanderhoof was an advocate for and early adapter to new technologies. He integrated his University Web site into courses as a reference library, and he utilized video streaming technology to lecture online, sometimes to students at universities as far away as California. As of noon, Thursday, February 10, 2005, his Web page had 246,254 visitors.
On campus, Prof. Vanderhoof was a prominent figure in several campus Internet projects, including Webcasting UNCP basketball games and commencements. He was involved in community projects, raising money for juvenile court programs and the Robeson County Restitution program.
In lieu of flowers, the Vanderhoof family has requested that contributions be made to the David J. Vanderhoof Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a UNCP criminal justice major. Checks may be made payable to the UNCP Foundation, Inc. and sent to P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, N.C. 28372, or delivered to the Advancement Division in Lumbee Hall. Please make a note on your check to designate your funds to the Vanderhoof Scholarship.
© The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 • 910.521.6000