Video by Emily Janny and John Williams
The Cabrini University community lost a much loved member on Saturday, May 21. Dr. David Dunbar died around 10 p.m. after being struck by a car on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne. The board of trustees had honored his promotion to full professor just hours before.
Dunbar was known as an extremely passionate and outgoing professor around campus. “Dr. David Dunbar has provided knowledge, passion for science, a shoulder to cry on, a high five and a wave down the hallway, and a great adviser and friend,” ‘16 alumna Morgan Sperratore said. “He has done so much for myself and my classmates.”
One of Dunbar’s colleagues in the science department, Dr. Melinda Harrison, associate professor of chemistry, became close with Dunbar from the moment she first began working at Cabrini. “Not only students did he mentor but he was also really good at mentoring young faculty members,” Harrison said. “He mentored me and he also was mentoring several other faculty members on campus outside of his department; helped them and showed them the ropes because they were new.”
Though his passing occurred at the beginning of the past summer, his memory remains throughout campus. Cabrini’s green week, which took place Oct. 3 through Oct. 6 around campus, was dedicated to Dunbar in honor of the environmental work he was able to accomplish.
“Dr. Dunbar was all about sustainability. In his personal life as well as his professional life. He taught several classes that were ways to improve local places, to increase awareness for certain things out there in the environment,” Harrison said. “He also had all kinds of solar panels at his house because he was really into going green and doing things to benefit the environment.”
The week began with a memorial mass on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. in the chapel, which was attended by multiple faculty members from various departments on campus, President Donald Taylor and other important staff members of the university.
“I find myself often thinking about Dr. David Dunbar and the effect of his loss on the Cabrini community,” Taylor said in an email. “Especially this week as we were participating in another campus beautification event, I was reminded of how much David loved being outdoors, loved our beautiful campus, and being in tune with nature.”
During the homily of the mass, Father Carl Janicki spoke of how appreciated Dunbar was in everything he did throughout campus and used the words from one of Mother Cabrini’s letters to better describe his mark here at Cabrini:
“Your very presence, your virtue and your teaching will create a wholesome atmosphere in the classrooms where you will teach, a salutary environment. You will radiate a beneficial influence, education in the true sense of the word. The good you do will be immense.”
Dunbar always worked to remain an involved member of the community. Over the years he chaired pivotal college academic committees and created opportunities for getting students involved off campus. He spearheaded student work with community environmentalists restoring Valley Creek and encouraged participation in the Special Olympics Eastern Regional.
Many of his students felt the extra interest Dunbar took in furthering their science research experience. In past years, he had students present their work in the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and the National Council on Undergraduate Research Symposia. He often worked directly on research with students and co-authored professional publications with them.
“He really had really good insight at drawing out students and getting them involved in undergraduate research when maybe another faculty member wouldn’t take them on because they didn’t have the highest exam grade or they weren’t the top student,” Harrison said. “I think that also what he had a really admirable kind of insight for is he found positive factors in every single student. It didn’t matter what your grade was, or what your ability was.”
“Dunbar was so passionate about everything he taught,” Brianna Ridgely, ‘16 alumna, said. “I was only fortunate enough to have him for one class but I really enjoyed his enthusiasm for not only science, but for life.”
His death came as a shock when many students, faculty and community members became aware the following morning shortly before Cabrini’s 2016 undergraduate commencement began.
Sperratore posted about the news on Instagram shortly after finding out. “We, as a science department, have our own angel looking down on us today as we walk at graduation,” she wrote.
The first on many campus memorial services was hosted on campus Friday, June 3, in order to give the community a chance to come together in mourning. A large crowd gathered in Grace Hall to share memories and reflect. The service included reflections from students, alumni, faculty colleagues, research partners and other Cabrini College staff members.
A message from President Taylor was sent shortly after the news of his passing was spread. It read: “Dr. Dunbar was a pillar of our community and the Cabrini family. He was dedicated to students, to academic research, to community engagement, and to our mission. Dr. Dunbar will be sorely missed by all.”
Dunbar had three children, Megan, Kyle and Eric. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology from Lycoming College and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Lehigh University.
The university plans to continue to honor his loss through a memorial space on campus along the Eagle Road driveway as well as through the David Dunbar Fund for Undergraduate Science Research, which will fund undergraduate science majors to work on research with faculty mentors.
“When Dr. Dunbar came to Cabrini there was really no undergraduate research done in the sciences,” Harrison said. “We’re [the science department] really dedicated to continuing undergraduate research, continuing the project. Maybe not the same projects that he had been working on, but just keeping that spirit alive because it’s something that he really believed in and it’s something important for science in general to do research with students.”
