David Black guided youths to love the land

David Black's den was packed floor-to-ceiling with books, maps from around the world and clippings from several newspapers he read every day. Collectively, it was a testament to his active, curious mind.

"For my dad, there was always a feeling there was so much more to read," said his daughter Heather Black Carrión, of Seattle. "There was a feeling of wanting to suck the marrow out of life."

In his 75 years of life, Mr. Black, who died of pancreatic cancer Dec. 24, left an imprint on countless youths of the area, as well as on environmental and educational causes. The longtime teacher at Seattle's private Lakeside School was humble yet sociable, peaceful yet frenetically busy.

David Chancellor Black was born May 31, 1932, to a wealthy old-Seattle family that operated Seattle Cedar Lumber Co. While his older siblings were away at boarding schools, a young Mr. Black found his own entertainment in the woods of Bainbridge Island, where he spent much of his childhood. It instilled in him a passion for the outdoors, said his brother Alan Black, of Seattle.

He attended Seattle's Bush and Lakeside schools, Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and then Harvard and Yale universities. He served in the Army in Europe just after World War II, developing a lifelong connection to German language and culture.

He met his wife, Inez, through a program that encourages students to live abroad. They married in 1965 and traveled extensively.

Upon his return to Seattle, Mr. Black launched "The Vagabonds," a summer outdoor-education program for boys. Mr. Black would drive the small groups around Western Washington in an old school bus for lessons in sailing, hiking and camping.

"Everybody loved him. I've known him 55 years and I never heard anyone say a single critical thing about him," said Ken Van Dyke, a longtime friend and colleague.

He settled into an 18-year stint as a teacher at Lakeside and also served as director of admissions. And he continued to take groups of students to his beloved farm property on Lopez Island and to other local farms to teach city kids about where their food came from, said Bruce Bailey, a fellow Lakeside teacher.

Mr. Black also gave his time and money to at least a dozen groups, many of them involved in environmental causes. He was closely tied to a summer youth program in the San Juan Islands called Camp Nor'wester.

Christa Campbell, the camp's co-director, said Mr. Black was unfailingly considerate. "He never missed an opportunity to ask how your children were," she said.

Cancer came as a shock because Mr. Black ate well and exercised, his daughter said.

"He said, 'I'm not scared of dying; I'm just going to be really disappointed in leaving you all,' " she said. "It wasn't just his family, but his greater community. He just loved people and their lives."

In addition to his wife, daughter Heather and brother Alan, survivors include daughter Lisa Black Avolio, of Seattle; sister Marillyn Black Watson, of Seattle; brother William McEwan Black, of Seattle; and four grandchildren.

Memorials are set for 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Lopez Island Community Center.

Donations may be made to the San Juan Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 327, Lopez, WA 98261, or Camp Nor'wester, P.O. Box 668, Lopez, WA 98261.

Jonathan Martin: 206-464-2605 or jmartin@seattletimes.com