Wake Forest Emeritus Professor David Shores, 78, passed away on August 9, 2020.
David was blessed to find love twice—with his first wife of 38 years, Donna, who preceded him in death, and with his second wife, Kathy, whom he married in 2006. He is survived by Kathy, his elder son Craig, Craig’s wife Valerie and two grandchildren, Beckett and Jonah; and his younger son Christopher, Christopher’s partner Rachel, and her son Ronan. He is also survived by his brothers Gerry and his wife, of Dallas, Texas, Linus and his wife, of Holland, Pennsylvania, and Donald, of Great Falls, Montana. Also surviving are his stepson Brian and his step granddaughter Kristina.
He was born in New Hampton, Iowa on August 28, 1941. After graduating from Rudolphium High School in Protivin, Iowa, he worked briefly in a canning facility, and then served three years in the United States Army, in Fort Bragg and Korea. After his experiences on the family farm, the cannery, and the Army, David decided that he never again wanted to rely on his hands to support himself. Instead, he wanted to work with his mind. Accordingly, he enrolled at the University of Iowa, graduating in 1965, and earning a J.D. with distinction from there in 1967. He earned his LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown in 1969.
He began his legal career as a trial attorney for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. (1967–1969), and practiced as an associate attorney with Porter, Stanley, Platt & Arthur in Columbus, Ohio (1969–1972). He joined the Wake Forest law faculty in 1972, and was promoted to Professor of Law in 1977. In addition to teaching at Wake Forest, he was a Visiting Professor at University of Missouri-Columbia Law School in 1981, and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1987. He enjoyed a distinguished academic career, and published numerous scholarly articles in his two fields of antitrust and tax. In addition, he had a dry sense of humor, which was appreciated by students and faculty alike. He retired from Wake Forest in 2009.
I came to know David when I arrived at Wake Forest in 1976. Whenever I needed help in figuring out what the law was, or how to present it, David was there. He and his family made us welcome, and we have been friends ever since.
His scholarly articles were a delight. Often, when I read one of his pieces, I would think, “Of course!” Invariably, something which had been neither clear nor obvious to me before, had become so, thanks to David.
He will be sorely missed. ■