Daniel B. Fleming Jr.

Daniel B. Fleming, Jr., 80, of Blacksburg, died on December 17th, 2011, at home. He was born in St. Marys, W.VVa., the son of former State Senator Dan B. and Ruth Sayre Fleming, both from pioneer families of the Ohio Valley. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly; daughter, Katharine, and grandson Daniel Mariani, of Chandler, Ariz.; daughter, Elizabeth, husband Brian, and grandson, Ian Boatright, of Roswell, Ga., and daughter, Susan, and grandson, Carter Cabrera, of Ithaca, N.Y. As a child he was dubbed the "unofficial mascot" of the 1939-40 New York Worlds' Fair and would joke that he peaked at age seven. Dan was a graduate of St. Marys High School and West Virginia University, with a BA and MA in political science and a member of Sigma Nu social fraternity, several honoraries, and was the Mountaineer in 1952-53. He served as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Army and then taught at Marietta High School where he served as president of the Marietta Education Association and student council advisor.
In 1960, Dan was chairman of Pleasants County Citizens for Kennedy in that pivotal presidential primary. He received a Fulbright grant to India and served as a Congressional Fellow of the American Political Science Association, working as a legislative aide in the U.S. House and Senate in 1962-63.
In 1964 he began teaching in Fairfax County, becoming the county's first social studies supervisor where he was instrumental in developing some of the most innovative social studies programs in the country. He did graduate work at Harvard University and received his Doctorate in education from George Washington University in 1970. He then joined the faculty at Virginia Tech and retired in 1992 as a professor emeritus of education.
Dan served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education, the Educational Testing Service and numerous national and Virginia school systems. He chaired Virginia social studies task forces and served in several national organizations. In 1980, he was the first college educator to receive the Virginia Council for the Social Studies, Outstanding Social Studies Educator Award.
He authored or co-authored several social studies textbooks and numerous articles in professional journals. In 1992, he authored the "definitive" study of the 1960 presidential primary in West Virginia,
Kennedy vs. Humphrey, 1960
and in 2002 he authored
Ask What You Can Do for Your Country: The Memory and Legacy of John F. Kennedy
. He also appeared on national and local television shows and was a frequent newspaper op-ed contributor.
Dan participated in a variety of local civic activities including Blacksburg AARP, and was a former chair of AARP's state legislative committee. He also enjoyed the Blacksburg Sports Club where his fondness WVU was sometimes noted.
Special thanks are owed to Dr. Christine Jordan, Dan's Internist, and Carillion Hospice NRV. Dan received outstanding care from his primary nurse, Pam Forsythe, his physician, Tina Smusz, as well as from nurses Lisa Gunter, Beverly Caldwell, and Sherry Reed.
Visitation will be at McCoy Funeral Home January 7th from 2-4pm. In lieu of flowers the family requests that you consider a donation to the Dan B. Fleming Endowed Scholarship, VA Tech Foundation, Inc. Office of University Development (0336) Blacksburg, VA 24061 or Free Clinic of the NRV, 215 Roanoke St, Christiansburg, VA 24073. A burial service will be held in St. Marys, WV over Memorial Day weekend. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home Blacksburg.