Wednesday, May 16, 2018
I had the great opportunity to work with David three different times after Keith Cosper of the Atlanta Regional Office, Regional Special Investigative Team recommended him to me when I was the Chief of the Computer Assisted Audit Techniques Branch at the Defense Contract Audit Institute in Memphis, Tennessee. David, of course, wanted to get back to Memphis where he excelled in all things. David rapidly finished an Accounting degree at the University of Memphis, then Memphis State University. He was an avid supporter of the University of Memphis and was excited about the schools many achievements. When David was in college he took on an unimaginably heavy academic load and successfully completed his course with the highest marks possible in all courses while also working full time at the machine shop. David was not afraid to take on any challenge unlike may other people in life. He applied himself and always delivered excellent solutions. He had a gift for working with any type of person. And, so he was both a very successful investigative support auditor but also an accomplished instructor, but also accomplished in many other things. David went on to become one of the few auditors in DCAA who was proficient in Data Retrieval and Analysis of the many auditors that worked for me. He seemed to enjoy the mental challenge of solving all sorts of problems. And, he also enjoyed travelling to most of the country while working in both the Central Regional Office's IT Audits and Quantitative Analysis Division, and later in the Headquarters Technical Support Branch. There was not a Region that David did not visit and he also came to visit all of the major Field Audit Offices. David conducted onsite Data Retrieval and Analysis Training in the Base SAS software product the EDP Expansion Program grew to encompass the Defense Contract Audit Agency's 30 to 40 major Field Audit Offices. And, the continued to support the needs of those Field Audit Offices with the greatest success. He was also contacted by other DoD entities who needed analytical assistance, such as TRICARE which he helped to identify fraudulent overbillings by doctors for medical services. David loved to fish. If there was water then David was anxious to put a fishing rod of any type in that water. Once he moved to Colorado Springs he tried many fishing steams but one of his favorite was down a dusty dirty road for 20 miles to just below a large dam. That rapidly running stream is in Eleven Mile Canyon and was a fishing spot he visited many times, which he also showed me in September when I last visited him. David could fix almost any mechanical device. He loved cars as well an had a few Corvettes that included one he got from his brother that he spent considerable time restoring. And, he loved tools which he purchased to repair cars .. or perhaps repairing cars was his excuse to purchase tools. Goodness! David had many huge rolling tool boxes and his collection had even expanded beyond those. David would research how to repair a specific electro mechanical device when one broke just to see if he was up to the challenge of fixing it. He always was! In any event he helped pass that mechanical skill on to his daughter, Christina (who is a very accomplished artist, is now at the University of Colorado Denver, and is succeeding beyond David's greatest expectations). And, so Christina enjoyed helping David work on various projects. David always made the most fun out of any event! When I visited him the humidifier's float valve had malfunctioned in his basement and the basement has subsequently flooded. But, again David had an enjoyment of mechanics and so we mopped up all of water flooding the basement, took the humidifier apart, and then actually had the greatest of times visiting two of the largest plumbing supply houses in Colorado Springs where David bought different replacement parts - with a complete smile on his face as he enjoyed repair 'things.' When I visited David in September he also still had his love for fancy restaurants and he took me to some of his favorites which he always enjoyed. In each city David usually knew the most enjoyable places to eat and he like to take his friends to those nice places. And although his weight was down to 120 pounds in September, from the 150 to 160 pounds that he maintained for most of his life ... he always ... enjoyed a good time and being with people. David had a huge bit of "Fun" in him a just a tad of enjoyable mischief. He once cobbled some discarded computer parts together so they looked like a video surveillance camera and then mounted that contraption on a column in the offices! Of course one employee who was immediately concerned (once he saw the supposed camera) that he would allow him to be observed not working subsequently went mildly into a bit of an rant! But, that was a simple setup compared to some of the ruses that David thought up - which ranked with the most humorous that an DCAA auditor were thought up! (And, over my career I saw many creative, fun situations that auditors created.) David was a creative person. In another instance when Christina was two years old he put the little tyke up to kicking the heck out of my office wall .... directly across from where I was sitting! Needless to say that was 'an event' that I had not experienced before ...but it was all in good fun. When Christina was little she shared the back seat of David's Nissan Altima with Black Gorrilla which was a huge black stuffed toy that was taller than she was. It was 'her friend' and she always wanted Black Gorilla around...just as she wanted the Boxer dog that had around which she enjoyed greatly. And, David took her often through of his favorite drive through morning restaurants that made tiny-one bite hamburgers which he and Christina often shared. David tried to instill inquisitiveness in Christina! And, Christina became inquisitive once when David was kind enough to borrow a trailer to help re-sod a yard and she was - always curious - interested in investigating the residence (going inside the house) while David and I labored away re-sodding that yard. So, David - also - always knew everywhere to go and everyone to talk to in order to get any resources that were needed for any project. Once when another lady needed her yard mowed and her lawn mower fixed - yet again - David where there helping a person that needed assistance ... and who could not do the job herself. So, David reached out repeatedly to people who needed help .. AND DAVID HELPED THEM! ALWAYS!!! I was fortunate to know David. He was besides my father the finest person that I've ever known. He came to be the most special of friends to me. And I greatly regret that I did not know of his memorial service as I would have been there. My condolences to the family and my very best wishes to you. Very Sincerely, Alan Teal
(719) 207-8855
