Tributes

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My seminar with David Paletz was the highlight of my time at Duke. David insisted on brilliance and would not suffer shallow analysis. He made me a better, more nuanced thinker. The class was about media, and how it responds to and shapes politics — and it still resonates with me now, two decades later, as a working journalist.

Kashmir Hill

The New York Times

Professor Paletz helped me learn to be skeptical of those with political power and the media that portrays them. I have put those lessons to good use throughout my career as a lawyer, federal prosecutor, and Georgia Supreme Court Justice. David was also a model for mentoring and making learning fun, and I hope I have done some of that too.

David Nahmias

"David took a timid, overwhelmed graduate student and gave her confidence to pursue and land her dream job. And he never stopped being an advisor and advocate. I'm eternally grateful to
him."

Danielle Vinson

Professor of Political Science

Furman University

"Professor Paletz is the only one I’ve ever known to lecture lying flat on the desk at the front of the classroom. It was pretty unnerving, but we got used to it. Either horizontal or vertical, we loved him and hung on his every word. Innovative teaching!

Susan Herbst

University Professor of Political Science and President Emeritus

University of Connecticut

"William Butler Yeats said that 'Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.' Has not David lit fires over the decades that have warmed and illuminated for us all? Thank you David!"

Walter Chapin

Class of 1969

"To David – an inspiring professor and dear friend who opened minds and helped launch me and many other young people on successful life paths. I will be forever grateful for your wisdom, innovative teaching, and enduring friendship

Joanna Shelton

Former Deputy Secretary General

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

You taught us to appraise ourselves honestly, and that we could be both true to ourselves and ambitiously self-directed in our evolution. You taught that because that’s how you lived, and how you were: honest, self-appraising, ambitious; also secure and self-loving. Because you loved yourself you could love others well.

Lindsay Pennington

Los Angeles

In the classroom, David did not suffer fools gladly, and brought his dry wit to bear. Those behaviors kept students on their toes, while making clear that they shouldn't take themselves too seriously; life is too short.

John Boiney

David's Graduate Assistant in the late 1980s

Working with David Paletz was the highlight of my graduate experience at Duke. He saw me as a person and scholar and helped transform my crazy ideas into political communication research that considers popular culture as a legitimate form of political and social change.

Katina Stapleton

Made a huge impact on my understanding of the media and politics. His year-long class, Media Power Politics, was incredibly engaging when I took it, and has had a lasting effect on my understanding of the intersection of media and politics for my entire adult life. Those insights have been invaluable to me.

Michael Wolitzer

As a teacher, mentor and friend, David L. Paletz has been a touchstone of my life as a creative and a scholar for over fifty years. I will always be grateful for that.

Milbre Burch

Storyteller

Professor Paletz often described me as “the velvet glove with the iron grip,” and over time I came to know him as the tough glove lined with velvet—rigorous at first, then warm, funny, and fiercely loyal.

Kendall Guthrie

Consultant | Coach | Connector

Supporting Social Sector Changemakers to Thrive in Changing Times

David Remembered

Tributes

"David took a timid, overwhelmed graduate student and gave her confidence to pursue and land her dream job. And he never stopped being an advisor and advocate. I'm eternally grateful to
him."

"Professor Paletz is the only one I’ve ever known to lecture lying flat on the desk at the front of the classroom. It was pretty unnerving, but we got used to it. Either horizontal or vertical, we loved him and hung on his every word. Innovative teaching!

"William Butler Yeats said that 'Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.' Has not David lit fires over the decades that have warmed and illuminated for us all? Thank you David!"

"To David – an inspiring professor and dear friend who opened minds and helped launch me and many other young people on successful life paths. I will be forever grateful for your wisdom, innovative teaching, and enduring friendship

In the classroom, David did not suffer fools gladly, and brought his dry wit to bear. Those behaviors kept students on their toes, while making clear that they shouldn't take themselves too seriously; life is too short.

Working with David Paletz was the highlight of my graduate experience at Duke. He saw me as a person and scholar and helped transform my crazy ideas into political communication research that considers popular culture as a legitimate form of political and social change.

As a teacher, mentor and friend, David L. Paletz has been a touchstone of my life as a creative and a scholar for over fifty years. I will always be grateful for that.

Professor Paletz often described me as “the velvet glove with the iron grip,” and over time I came to know him as the tough glove lined with velvet—rigorous at first, then warm, funny, and fiercely loyal.

Longer Tributes

David Remembered

Tributes

"David took a timid, overwhelmed graduate student and gave her confidence to pursue and land her dream job. And he never stopped being an advisor and advocate. I'm eternally grateful tohim."

"Professor Paletz is the only one I’ve ever known to lecture lying flat on the desk at the front of the classroom. It was pretty unnerving, but we got used to it. Either horizontal or vertical, we loved him and hung on his every word. Innovative teaching!

"William Butler Yeats said that 'Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.' Has not David lit fires over the decades that have warmed and illuminated for us all? Thank you David!"

"To David – an inspiring professor and dear friend who opened minds and helped launch me and many other young people on successful life paths. I will be forever grateful for your wisdom, innovative teaching, and enduring friendship

In the classroom, David did not suffer fools gladly, and brought his dry wit to bear. Those behaviors kept students on their toes, while making clear that they shouldn't take themselves too seriously; life is too short.

Working with David Paletz was the highlight of my graduate experience at Duke. He saw me as a person and scholar and helped transform my crazy ideas into political communication research that considers popular culture as a legitimate form of political and social change.

As a teacher, mentor and friend, David L. Paletz has been a touchstone of my life as a creative and a scholar for over fifty years. I will always be grateful for that.

Professor Paletz often described me as “the velvet glove with the iron grip,” and over time I came to know him as the tough glove lined with velvet—rigorous at first, then warm, funny, and fiercely loyal.

Longer Tributes

"David took a timid, overwhelmed graduate student and gave her confidence to pursue and land her dream job. And he never stopped being an advisor and advocate. I'm eternally grateful to
him."