David Everett, who as a writer, editor, and teacher helped countless other writers hone their craft, died on January 14, 2020, at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He left this world peacefully, surrounded by family, after a brief and brutal fight against leukemia. David was born in Denver, Colorado, on February 15, 1952. He was one of five children in an Army family that was stationed in Germany and around the United States before settling in east Tennessee. A talented drummer as well as a gifted writer, David graduated from Maryville High School in 1970, and from the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information in 1974. Starting with The Columbus (Georgia) Enquirer where he rose to the position of city editor, David spent his entire journalism career with the Knight-Ridder Newspapers company. In 1981, David was hired by the Detroit Free Press. During 14 years with the newspaper, he was a state capital bureau reporter, environment/energy reporter, investigative projects reporter, and business reporter. From 1989 to 1995 he covered labor, economics, and business for the Free Press in the Knight-Ridder Washington bureau. David's reporting from eight countries and 24 states earned numerous honors, including awards from the National Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, and Overseas Press Club. After his journalism career, David joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University, where he had earned his master's degree in writing. At Hopkins, David taught and directed creative writing and science writing programs for graduate students in Baltimore and Washington, DC. He founded and led a summer writing conference in Florence, Italy, and Bar Harbor, Maine, and he served as editor of the PennUnion literary journal for 21 years. David retired from Hopkins in 2016 and continued to write, teach, and edit. He worked for organizations including AARP, the American Research Center in Egypt, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and served as managing editor of The Outlier Magazine. In 2019, he had stepped up his research on the non-fiction book he had long planned to write. David is survived by his wife of 27 years, Patricia Edmonds; his daughter, Claire Elizabeth Edmonds Everett, and his son, Will Alexander Edmonds Everett. He also is survived by one sister, Lisa Woods (Andy); three brothers, Steven Everett, Kent Everett, and Alan Everett (Anne); and other beloved relatives. A celebration of David's life is set for 5 p.m. February 15 at the National Geographic headquarters, on M Street between 16th and 17th Streets NW, Washington, DC. Interment will be private. A scholarship for journalism students will be established in David's name at the University of Tennessee; updates on the scholarship will be posted at www.davideverett.net, where friends are encouraged to post memories. A celebration of David's life is set for 5 p.m. February 15 at the National Geographic headquarters, on M Street between 16th and 17th Streets NW, Washington, DC. Interment will be private. A scholarship for journalism students will be established in David's name at the University of Tennessee; updates on the scholarship will be posted at www.davideverett.net, where friends are encouraged to post memories.
Published in The Washington Post on Jan. 26, 2020