Author Biography
In a moderately long life, I have learned three important things: that it is better to be know than to be ignorant, better to tell the truth than to lie, and better to be free than be a slave.
— The Gallant Hours
David Churchman is professor emeritus, California State University, where he held a dual appointment as professor in Humanities Graduate Studies and as professor and chairman of Behavioral Sciences Graduate Programs. In the latter, he taught traditional and distance courses in conflict theory and negotiation tactics; in the former he taught Ancient Near Eastern, Arab, and Byzantine history.
David has been a Fulbright Scholar in Cyprus and Ukraine and a Malone Scholar in Saudi Arabia. He has been a National Science Foundation program officer, high school teacher, social worker, and infantry officer. He has worked in Australia, Morocco, and Singapore, and visited over 100 other countries.
After an apprenticeship as a movie studio trainer working primarily with big cats, elephants, and raptors, David co-founded Wildlife on Wheels [WOW], a nonprofit organization and federally licensed zoo that soon was providing 100,000 student contact hours a year of live animal education programs in the Los Angeles Basin. WOW also worked with International Bird Rescue and Research to rescue animals from oil spills such as Exxon Valdez.
David is the author or co-author of over 150 articles, conference papers, and books. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in Near Eastern History at The University of Michigan and, with the support from the U.S. Department of State and American Association of School Administrators, his doctorate in program evaluation at UCLA.
David currently lives in Oregon. In addition to part-time teaching, he is a member of the Oregon draft board and the Southern Oregon chapter of the Military Officers’ Association of America. He is both a Community Emergency Response Team and Oregon Shakespeare Festival volunteer. His avocations include chess, cooking, photography, rifle marksmanship, and travel.