Daniel L. Premo

1934 - 2023

Daniel Lawrence Premo of Chestertown, Maryland, passed away on July 4, 2023, at the age of 88. He was a well-respected professor at Washington College, international diplomat, and beloved husband and father.

A memorial service will be held on July 22, at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home,130 Speer Road, Chestertown, Maryland. The gathering is at 11 a.m., service at noon, followed by a lunch reception at the funeral home.

Dan was the youngest of three children, born October 1, 1934, in Muskegon, Michigan to Owen Daniel Premo, a civil engineer and inventor, and Alice May Morton, an elementary school teacher.

Growing up, Dan played three years of high school varsity baseball and was an avid fisherman. He had a passion for classical music, and while in college played the cello in the Kalamazoo Symphony.

After graduating summa cum laude from Western Michigan University in 1956, he spent a year in Bogota, Colombia on a fellowship from the Organization of American States, teaching at the University of the Andes. From 1958 to 1963 he worked for the U.S. Information Agency, serving as Assistant Director of the Binational Center in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Director of the Binational Center in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Dan returned to the United States in 1965 completing his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Texas. It was there he met his wife, Rita Rienstra. They married in 1967.

In 1970, they moved to Chestertown, Maryland, where he began the Latin American Studies Program at Washington College. During his career he served as Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Studies, was appointed the first Louis L. Goldstein Professor, and Curator of the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.

In 1987, Dan was selected as the sixth Charles H. Hackley Distinguished Lecturer, delivering the keynote address at the Muskegon Museum of Art. He received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching at Washington College.

He and Rita spent six months in South Africa in 1998 as the College's first exchange professor at Rhodes University. Dan took immense pleasure in teaching and working with students.

Dan was recognized as an expert in the field of United States Latin American Relations, publishing dozens of articles on the region's military and insurgency movements. He traveled frequently to Latin America and was active in several professional associations.

After retiring in 2003, Dan continued to play duplicate bridge, earning the rank of Master. He shared his expertise as a guest lecturer on cruise ships traveling through Latin America. He loyally followed several sports teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Lions, Redwings, Pistons, and Tigers.

Dan was committed to his family and the greater Chestertown community. Over the years he coached sports teams for both Kent County and Chestertown Little League Baseball and the Church Youth Basketball League. In his retirement he taught several courses for the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning and served a term as Special Events Committee Chair.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Rita Rienstra Premo, son Christopher, grandsons Jacob and Jason Premo, daughter Alison Premo Black (James), grandchildren Owen, Johannah, Evelyn, and Conrad Black, and many beloved nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother Douglas Premo (Ilknur) and Nancy Wallington (David).

Friends, former students, and others are welcome to leave photos or a note for the family at https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/DanielPremo/. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Doctors Without Borders.