David Covin

1940 - 2023

David Covin
October 3, 1940 - June 3, 2023
Sacramento, California - On June 3, 2023, David died at home surrounded by his wife and surviving daughter. He had a life well lived and well loved.
David was raised in Evanston, IL by his parents Lela and Odell. He had a childhood filled with family, including his grandmother Ruby. He attended Evanston Township High School before earning his Bachelor's degree at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
David continued his education at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he earned his Masters degree. It was there that he met and fell in love with Judy, his life long partner, who he married in 1965. He received his PhD from Washington State University in 1970 and then moved with Judy and their two daughters to Sacramento where he began a career as a professor of Government at Sac State and later also served as a professor in Pan African studies.
During his tenure at Sac State, David became a renowned teacher, scholar and community leader. He also became a distinguished novelist, scholar, publisher and activist at the local, state, national and international levels. He was a founding member of the Cooper Woodson College Enhancement Program, Ethnic Studies and Pan African Studies at the University. He served as president and was an active member of the Conference of Black Political Scientists, founding co-principal investigator of the Race and Democracy in the Americas project and founding publisher of Blue Nile Press.
As author of over 50 scholarly articles, David was widely respected in his field. He contributed extensively to the legacy of community service and personal achievements of African Americans. He was the recipient of numerous awards for his scholarly and community service work, including the Cooper-Woodson College Medal of Honor, the John Livingston Annual Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award, the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Award, the Sacramento Observer Medallion for Achievement in the Field of Education, and many more.
David was an elected member of the Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Alpha Theta and Phi Beta Delta honor societies, at Washington State University, where he founded the Black Studies Program. His activism during the Civil Rights Movement was a source of pride for his family. He was co-chair of CORE in Boulder, participated in the the March on Montgomery and helped form the Sacramento Area Black Caucus.
David is survived by his wife Judy of 58 years and daughter Holly (Steve); grandchildren Nicola, Will and Claire; sister Jacquie (Mark) and niece Artemisia. He is predeceased by his daughter Wendy. He is also predeceased by his beloved dogs over the decades who gave him joy beyond measure - Sable, Midori, Kabuki, Sake, Kyoto, Nookta and Thor.
A memorial service will be held in Fall 2023. If you are interested in information, please indicate your interest at (a live hyperlink is available on Legacy.com):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchGw8UOZ5r63puknUGe_-lKmwzN9KodJIt03KpDCHiDd0qhg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
After completing the form, you will receive details once they become finalized.
If you are interested in making a monetary contribution in David's honor, the family recommends donating to one of three programs and Sac State that were important to David: The Cooper Woodson Scholarship Program, Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, or University Library Fund. You make select one of these programs at www.csus.edu/makeagift . To make a gift by check, please make it payable to "The University Foundation at Sacramento State" and indicate in the memo line which fund you with to support (or that the gift is in memory of David Covin) and mail to: Development Office, Sacramento State, 6000 J Street MS 6030, Sacramento, CA 95819.