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David Dollar Obituary
David Dollar
Died suddenly on October 6, 2023, in Baltimore, MD, with his wife and two children by his side from complications following an earlier bone marrow transplant at Johns Hopkins Medical. David was the devoted and adored husband for 36 years of L. Paige Whitley and the phenomenal and adored father of Evan and Isabel Dollar. He also leaves behind his brother Jerry Dollar (Poestenkill, NY) and sister Margaret Mullaley (Hingham, MA), seven nieces and one nephew. His sister Susan Dollar (Pomona, CA) predeceased him.
David was born in St. Louis, MO, the second son of John and Muriel (Hoogstraet) Dollar. His parents, two college professors, raised David and his siblings in Rutherford, NJ, with a keen appetite for learning. David attended Dartmouth College, where he discovered a passion for Chinese history and culture that would shape the rest of his life. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Dartmouth awarded David the Reynolds Fellowship and he chose to study Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan, and travelled far and wide around Southeast Asia.
David earned his PhD in Economics from New York University and was appointed Assistant Professor of Economics at UCLA. He returned to Beijing as a visiting professor in 1986 through a UCLA-Ford Foundation Program, teaching at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, China, where he met his future wife Paige. David joined the World Bank in 1989 and over his 20-year career served as Country Economist for Vietnam, Research Manager for Macroeconomics and Growth, Director of Development Policy, and finally as the Country Director for China and Mongolia, relocating his wife and two children to Beijing, where the family lived for nine years. In 2009 David retired from the World Bank and served as the Economic and Financial Emissary for the US Department of Treasury. Upon returning to Washington, DC, in 2013 David joined the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings Institution as a senior fellow. He was widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on the Chinese economy.
David was "an economist with a heart," someone who truly believed that the research he and his teams conducted served to help people. He argued unequivocally that growth was good for the poor. He was a brilliant thinker and a cogent speaker who could communicate succinctly to laymen and experts alike. His positivity, humility and quick wit defined him, and inspired others to do and care more. He will be sorely missed by family, friends, and colleagues from around the world.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for David Dollar
"L J"
October 6, 2025
Always in our hearts.
Stephen Kinnaird
November 21, 2023
I did not know him personally, but I was an avid listener to his podcasts as a non-economist. I admired his depth of knowledge, his intellectual approach, and his commitment to teaching economics to the broader public.
deepa narayan
November 9, 2023
I will always remember David as a kind and generous human being, who made a huge difference in the world. He is the person I admired the most even when I disagreed with him. His interest in junior staff and mentoring them was so clear and inspiring. My deep sympathies to David´s family. RIP David.
Brewer Doran
November 2, 2023
I'm so sorry to hear this. I knew David in both high school and at Dartmouth. Many years later we reconnected through work when he was at the World Bank and I remember him joking, "yes, I'm the only Dollar in the bank." He was a great guy. My condolences to his family.
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Arntraud hartmann
October 18, 2023
My heartfelt condolences to David´s family. I remember him vividly from the World Bank where he argued passionately for the need of economic growth and what he considered required policies. I am still sharing with my students his research he conducted 20 years ago. His voice and insights will be missed.
Arntraud Hartmann
Jingsi Rong
October 16, 2023
Dear Paige, my heartfelt condolences. I’m shocked and saddened by David’s passing, and so deeply sorry for your loss. Although not in frequent contact, I think of you and David often, my good teachers, and dear friends. I still have warm memory of that wonderful evening when visiting your family at your home in Beijing. My warmest thoughts are with you, Evan, and Isabel. Jingsi
Judy Karp
October 13, 2023
Dear Paige,
I echo Phil´s shock to read of David´s untimely passing. You and David made us feel so welcome when we ventured into the World Bank Beijing orbit in the cold of January 2007. David´s leadership of the office helped us, China neophytes, to learn the ropes and as a result we stayed 4 + years and were sad to leave. The two of you were a great team and I can only imagine your sorrow now that he is gone. I hope your memories will ease your pain in time. With love and respect. Judy
Michael Crosswell
October 13, 2023
From my perspective as a USAID economist/policy analyst, David had a huge impact on foreign aid policy, based on two propositions – the fundamental importance of recipient policies for aid effectiveness in promoting growth; and the fundamental importance of growth for poverty reduction. My recollection is that the first of those led pretty directly to the establishment and design of MCC -- a case of the right idea at a fortuitous time. The second added further support and justification (“Poverty Reduction Through Growth”). We returned to those two propositions time and again in policy discussions at AID. They were pillars for the NSC aid review/White Paper in the early Obama years, and for the eventual USAID Vision paper on Poverty Reduction. And, that’s all separate from his extensive work on and in China. Hats off!
Phil Karp
October 12, 2023
Paige, Isabelle and Evan. I was shocked to learn of David´s passing. I fondly remember my time working with him in the World Bank´s Beijing Office. May his memory be a blessing.
Liqun Jin
October 12, 2023
David is a great friend of mine! He has done exceptional work for the development of the vast number of developing countries of the World Bank Group. And he is supportive of the AIIB from the very outset of conceptualization, establishment and growth. He will be remembered by all those who worked with him. And he will never fade from the institutional memory of AIIB. Liqun Jin, President of AIIB
Cathy Pickar
October 12, 2023
Paige, Isabelle and Evan,
I am so terribly sorry for your loss. My warmest thoughts are with you. Cathy Pickar
Alessandra Marin Sebastio
October 11, 2023
My heartfelt condolences. I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I still have so many good memories about your passionate reports about your travelling around China. Sending love
Ritva Reinikka
October 11, 2023
David was my close colleague at the World Bank, dear friend and neighbor, for decades. He was always passionate for his work and the warmest fellow human being. David is dearly missed. Deepest condolences, Paige, Isabel and Evan. Love, Ritva
Debbie Bruno
October 11, 2023
David was all that: kind, smart, modest, and thoughtful. I will miss the undivided attention he gave to everyone when he spoke with them, and the way he looked at Paige. Rest in peace.
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