David Roger Giltrow

1937 - 2023

DAVID ROGER GILTROW
David Roger Giltrow died on August 29, 2023, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of consequences of acute myeloid leukemia, which had been diagnosed June 1. He was a kind, intelligent, principled man who loved to laugh. He was passionate about film and photography, the democratic process and social justice, University of Michigan football, and Santa Fe. He was the rarity of all rarities: an unobtrusive photographer. David loved to figure out how things worked and how to maintain them.
David was born on December 18, 1937, to Aubrey Giltrow and Ruby Jane (Senseman) Giltrow in Middletown, Ohio, and raised in Saline, Michigan. After obtaining a BA in Education from the University of Michigan in 1961, David did three years of alternative service in Tanzania with the American Friends Service Committee (1961 to 1964), working with the Tanzanian Film Unit. He earned an MA (1966) and PhD (1973) in Educational Technology from the Newhouse School of Syracuse University. In 1969, while doing research in Tanzania for his PhD, he met Peggy Medina. They were married in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1971 under the care of the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting (Quakers). David was warmly welcomed into the extensive Medina family of the Mora Valley of northern New Mexico.
David's professional career began in 1974 at the TV College of the City Colleges of Chicago. In 1978, he and Peggy left their Chicago jobs to do research in London and Kenya for a book on the British Colonial Film Unit. This evolved into a career working in some 20 developing countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East as an independent consultant in distance education, agricultural communications, community forestry, and development projects for the United Nations, the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. David and Peggy spent another four years in Tanzania, at the agricultural faculty of the University of Dar es Salaam in Morogoro, from 1980 to 1983. They then settled in Santa Fe, while David continued short consultancies abroad until the early 2000s.
After retiring, David focused on support for libraries in New Mexico. He helped to establish the New Mexico Library Foundation and worked to promote statewide library bonds. Friendship was important to David. He kept in close touch with old friends: from his high school days in Michigan; from his time as a photographer on the "Michigan Daily" and "Gargoyle", the University of Michigan's humor magazine; with fellow AFSC volunteers; with classmates and house mates from Syracuse; and with people he met in travels and work throughout the world. He maintained memberships in the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, and the New Mexico Library Association. And he kept making new and valued friends. Evening walks with a large black Newfoundland dog were later replaced by walks to smell the roses, clean up trash, and chat with neighbors.
David, who became a Quaker in Ann Arbor in 1959, was an active member of the Santa Fe Friends Meeting community from 1985 on, serving on numerous committees and helping to preserve the historic Meetinghouse and grounds at 630 Canyon Road.
As attached as they were to Santa Fe, the Giltrows burned up the tracks between Lamy and Ann Arbor, also taking frequent Amtrak trips to visit friends and family in southern California, Portland and Seattle. David and Peggy were citizens of the world, who loved to travel for work, research, and pleasure. This included numerous flights to England, Europe and beyond; but also, once David discovered that big ships didn't cause automatic seasickness, cruises to New Zealand, a trip through the Panama Canal, and up the coast of Alaska. Illness caused the cancellation of a planned trip this October, cruising through South Pacific islands and visiting New Zealand friends.
David is survived by his wife Peggy Medina Giltrow; sister-in-law Careen Giltrow of Ann Arbor; nephew Gregory Giltrow of Ann Arbor; nieces Carrie Kaeter (Bill) of Sequim, Washington, and Amy Chimner (Scott) of Gregory, Michigan; and several great and great-great nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brother Dr. Danny Lee Giltrow, DDS, of Ann Arbor.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the always compassionate and caring staff of the Christus St. Vincent Cancer Center, the infusion center at the main hospital, and the staff of the emergency room on August 29, 2023.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Santa Fe (details to follow).