It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Professor Emeritus of English Dan Dervin.
Dan joined Mary Washington in 1967 and was known in and out of the classroom, particularly as the professor who traveled by bicycle. He published nine books with numerous articles in academic journals, even after his retirement. Topics included Shaw and Lawrence, Freud and cinema, creativity and culture, and most recently in 2018, The Digital Child. He also is remembered as an avid and very talented tennis player, as well as one of Fredericksburg’s long-time book reviewers for The Free Lance-Star.
Fellow book reviewer and UMW alumnus Drew Gallagher ’92 shared a tribute to Dan earlier this month, noting that Dan was the “most prolific book reviewer in the history of The Free Lance-Star.” According to Drew, he seemed to be on a never-ending quest to read everything. As a result, his reviews and his contributions spanned decades and connected with so many authors and readers.
He was known to have a book with him always, even late into his life. He passed away at his home in Florida at the age of 89.
Dan will be remembered by many readers particularly on the Mary Washington campus.
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