Obituary of David Louis Darragh Green

It is with heavy and grateful hearts that the family of David Louis Darragh Green share the news of his death on October 13th,, 2024 in Cary, North Carolina. He suffered Alzheimer’s disease and several surgeries in the three years prior to his death. Surviving are his wife, Martha Phillips Green (Cary, NC), daughter, Ginger Green Ivanov and her husband Oleg Ivanov (Apex, NC), daughter, Laura Green (New York City), grandchildren Katya Ivanov (Apex, NC) and Alec Ivanov (Apex, NC), his sister, Barbara Green Trivette (Winston-Salem, NC) and extended in-law family.
Throughout his life he was beloved by all who came to know him for his gregarious, talkative intelligent, kind, and generous nature. He loved his family, friends, profession, churches, and pets that he shared with his wife and family (9 dogs and 4 cats).
Born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 4, 1943 to parents Dr. Harold and Bonnie Green, David was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with his older sister, Barbara. As a student at R. J. Reynolds High School he was active in the marching band as a drummer and the basketball and track teams. He excelled in the sciences and math and went on to Duke University, where in 1965 he graduated with a BA in Chemistry and Minors in Physics and Mathematics. Soon after, David earned a MAT in Mathematics (UNC-Chapel Hill) and completed coursework for a PhD in science education (UNC-Chapel Hill).
Mr. Green found his calling in teaching high school math and sciences in the North Carolina Public Schools, embodying the best of what a public educator can be. In a very creative and fruitful career spanning from 1966 to 2017, he taught at New Hanover HS (Wilmington, 1966), Charles E. Jordan HS (Durham, 1968-2011), Riverside HS (Durham, 1991-1993), UNC-CH (1967, 2007-2008) and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Durham, 2011-2017).
Mr. Green earned many honors over his teaching career including the Westinghouse Award (1979), the Governor’s Award for Science and Mathematics Teaching (1983), the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching (1984), Teacher of the Year (Jordan HS, 1998), National Board Certification (1999 and 2008), Intel Teacher of Merit (2008), and, an honor he appreciated the most - a grant established in his name by former students to support teachers at Jordan High School of any discipline looking to improve their methods and skill (2009). The awards speak to an incredible teaching legacy.
In 1968 Mr. Green began his 37-year tenure at Jordan High School as Head of the Mathematics Department and over the years taught a wide variety of courses including Computer Programming, Chemistry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, Engineering Concepts, and the truest passion of his teaching career, Physics and AP Physics. He always felt lucky landing a job at Jordan where he relished in the special synergy of curious
and bright students, an extremely supportive administration that gave all teachers tremendous freedom in the classroom, and a phenomenal teaching staff that respected and enjoyed each other across all disciplines, but most especially within his own Physics Department where he cherished friendships with talented teachers.
In 1970, with the confidence and encouragement from the forward-thinking Principal, Mr. James Sills, Mr. Green was able to satisfy his own growing curiosity with computers (a seed planted while a student at Duke.) Mr. Green was asked to develop and run a rudimentary scheduling system and used the first computer in North Carolina for such purposes. Until 2003 Mr. Green was critically instrumental and resourceful in technology development and usage in Durham County. In 1974, with full support of that same Principal, Mr. Green leveraged his position as a teacher and began hiring his own gifted students to work as assistants and programmers. This work served as the fertile ground for creative thinking that inspired many careers in technology. Mr. Green always loved time spent with the “go-fers” who were students first, then employees, and many friends for life.
Mr. Green was gifted at firing up students to the fun of Physics. Here, too, he inspired many to life-long careers in the sciences. His classes were filled with jokes, puns, and tangents. He was legendary for his wisdom, care for his kids, and, on more than one occasion, lateness to first period. Early on Mr. Green realized the importance of a student “doing” in any subject as a pathway to learning and never shied away from solving an enticing posed question or problem. Occasionally he showed impatience for chosen ineptitude and carelessness but always gave encouragement to a student willing to stretch out of their comfort zone.
Par for the course in his classes was “doing” experiments such as using the merry-go-round across the street from the school to measure centripetal force or using an old flatbed truck or dirty sedan in the school parking lot using Newton’s first and second laws of motion to determine mass. In the 1980’s experiments even took place on mountainous terrain with annual ski trips that surely bolstered the number of students taking Physics. Perhaps the most popular experiment (that began in 1971) was setting off rockets on a practice field in the back of the school, using the single terminal in the school for analyzing the data.
Following up on one student’s request for a trip to go to the launch of Apollo 13 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Mr. Green began what would become an annual “Science Seminar” research trip including three trips to see Apollo mission launches and one trip to see the space shuttle launch.
He loved the atmosphere at Jordan and showed his school spirit by attending concerts, musicals and sports events, handling the scoreboard for basketball games, chaperoning band and European trips with other beloved teachers, driving the cheerleaders to away events in the mid-80’s with his daughters’ teams and co-directing graduation ceremonies.
In his later teaching years he was thrilled to be invited to teach at Riverside High School and NCSSM where he pivoted and formed new relationships with students and fellow teachers. In 2017, almost 50 years after he began his teaching career that he, regrettably, knew it was time to put down the chalk. “Mr. Green” to over 4,000 students never fully got the hang of retirement.
Filling some of the gap were an increased presence with his church, family, and friends – all important throughout his life.
In his churches (Parkwood Baptist Church in Durham and Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill), he served in various roles over the years: Finance Director, Deacon, Moderator, Meals-on-Wheels driver and Head Usher. At Binkley he was pivotal in serving on a committee that assisted several families finding refuge from Vietnam. He loved watching his wife sing in the choir, especially in the last few years of his life when the highlight of his week was listening in on Wednesday night rehearsals.
For 59 years David was married to his high school sweetheart, Martha, his constant in life as fellow chaperone, travel companion, bridge partner and friend. David loved being part of the design process in two of the homes that they built together, close to nature. He always had a dog waiting to be let out, to go for a walk, or to take on a boat ride.
Over the years David enjoyed many beach vacations at Cherry Grove and Little River, South Carolina with dear friends and family but his heart belonged to High Rock Lake near Lexington where his father and mother built a summer cottage during his childhood. With the lake as his playground in his youth, he fostered several life-long friendships, became skilled at handling watercraft, and became an expert slalom and trick water skier with his father or best friend at the helm of the boat, earning the moniker, “Ski-King”.
The same physical strength and athleticism that he exhibited in his youth were apparent at the end of his life. He was the strength of his family. Lover of God, the oceans and lakes, wildlife, the North Carolina mountains, dogs, music, and ACC basketball, this cheerleader for his students, wife, children, and grandchildren left an indelible mark on this earth. Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle and “Dear” is now, and in perpetuity, dearly missed.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 9th, 2024 at 2:00pm at Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, NC.