In Memoriam: David L. Swanson, 1944-2004

David Swanson, one of the field’s leading lights, passed away unexpectedly in the fall of 2004. This page was the product of an open forum created to allow David's colleagues, those who knew him or were influenced by his work, to share their thoughts about his contributions to the field of political communication.

Michael Pfau, Chair and Professor of Communication, University of Oklahoma
Before I knew David Swanson the person, I knew David Swanson the scholar. I was particularly impressed with his 1977 article in Quarterly Journal of Speech, entitled: “And That’s the Way It Was? Television Covers the 1976 Presidential Campaign.” It was typical of the body of his scholarship: insightful, thorough, and extremely well written. Later, as I came to know David, I most valued his council. I found him to be a very wise man. He was a mentor and a friend to me, and to many others as well. David Swanson made a difference in our lives. He will be missed, but he will not be forgotten.

Bruce Gronbeck, A. Craig Baird Distinguished Professor of Public Address, University of Iowa
I got to know David Swanson after I wrote him a note--not a very complimentary note, actually--about his essays on critical inquiry and justification in 1977 numbers of Communication Monographs. I seldom write scholars about pieces that I have trouble with, but I made an exception in his case as I myself was making high-minded and -sounding pronouncements on the nature of criticism and critical inquiry in that same period. And I had very different conceptions of critical work than David did. Of all things, he responded graciously, even warmly, and from that point on we exchanged notes and face-to-face words regularly on interpretive understandings of political communication events and processes. Better, he got a chance to respond to me and my understanding of critical inquiry in 1988, when he was asked to frame my work in a then-SCA "Spotlight on Scholars" panel. His earnestness, care to detail, gentle spirit, and willingness to forget about my 1977 note in his 1988 paper only increased my appreciation of skills, social and intellectual virtues, and comprehension of critical claims and knowledge. I will miss his help.

Roderick P. Hart, Shivers Chair in Communication and Professor of Government, University of Texas
I will miss David Swanson to the depths of my being. He and I were almost exact peers–getting our graduate degrees at the same time, going through the academic ranks together, somehow, mysteriously, navigating the divide between the humanities and the social sciences. David was always more generous than I, more intellectually elastic as well. We both studied political communication–me, the stolid Americanist; David, the genuine internationalist. For him, the scholarly tent was never adequately filled unless it was over-filled. He never tired of shaking a new hand. When standing next to him, I always felt better about the human condition. David was a significant intellectual by any measure but somehow his humanity always took center stage. He was a prince of a man. My soul aches with his passing.

Philippe J. Maarek, Chair and Professor in Political Communication, University Paris 12, Chair of the Section of Political Communication Research of IAMCR
David Swanson was one one the most gallant American scholars in political communication I have met. He attended a five-day workshop I organized in 1999 with an utmost modesty, benevolence and simplicity, and he later gave Gadi Wolsfeld and me one of the best chapters of our Political Communication in a New Era, published at Routledge. He was always smiling, ready to write and contribute to research in political communication. I am glad I was able to work with this remarkable and distinguished man. I'll miss his smile and his professionalism.

David Weaver, Roy W. Howard Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication Research, Indiana University
Like many other colleagues in political communication, I also will miss David Swanson greatly. Although we never worked together on a project, I came to know him well, first through his insightful critiques of agenda-setting research and later as an editorial board member of our journal, Political Communication, while he was editor. I shared many a meal and conversation with him at various conferences, and came to appreciate deeply his wry sense of humor and pithy insights. We talked about many things, including Big Ten basketball as well as more serious matters. The last time I saw him was at ICA in New Orleans last May, where he seemed genuinely relaxed and happy to be interacting with old friends and colleagues and free of his higher-level administrative responsibilities for a few days. He was a true gentleman and scholar. His sudden loss is a harsh reminder to all of us that life is short and unpredictable, and we had better use our time for the people and things we value most.