David J. Armor, PhD Professor Emeritus' Obituary
David James Armor, PhD Professor Emeritus, passed away on October 11, 2025, after a battle with cancer.
David was born on November 11, 1938, and spent his formative years in Victorville, California. He married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Sells, in 1958.
David received his BA from UC Berkeley in Mathematics and his PhD in Sociology from Harvard University, where he also served on the faculty as assistant and associate professor from 1965 to 1972.
Following a visiting professorship at UCLA from 1972 to 1973, David joined the RAND Corporation as a senior social scientist, where he conducted research on substance abuse, education, health, and military manpower policy from 1973 to 1982. David was a candidate for Congress in 1982, and in 1985, he was elected to the Los Angeles Board of Education. From 1986 to 1989, David was principal deputy and acting assistant secretary of defense for force management and personnel.
David was professor emeritus of public policy in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. From 1993 to 2010, he taught graduate courses in multivariate statistics, culture and policy, social theory and policy, and program evaluation. From 2002 to 2005, he served as director of the PhD program in public policy.
David conducted research and wrote widely in the general area of social policy, with special emphasis on education, school desegregation, and military manpower issues. Between 1999 and 2005, he served on several National Academy of Science committees studying various issues in military recruiting.
David consulted and testified as an expert witness on numerous school desegregation and educational adequacy cases.
David and Marilyn Armor were the original owners and founders of Sharp Rock Vineyards in Sperryville, Virginia from 1990 to 2004.
David is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marilyn Armor; his daughter Adrienne Armor (Andrew Schwartz) and their children Diana Perrin and Lucas Schwartz; his son, Daniel Armor (Michelle Daly) and their children Tyler Armor, Ashlee Collister, Zackry Armor, Keelee Culver, Danielle Armor, Riley Armor, Matthew Daly, Colleen Daly, Bridget Daly, and Catherine Daly; his great- grandchildren, Sasha Perrin, Sterling Armor, Olivia Schwartz, and McKenna Culver; and his nieces, Kathleen Jensen and Karen Markeley.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 850 Sperryville Pike, Culpeper, VA. The family will receive friends one hour after the service.
A private family reception will follow.
Graveside service will be held Friday, October 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Etlan Cemetery, Church Hill Rd, Etlan, VA. Reception to follow at F.T. Baptist Church, 3143 Slate Mills Rd, Sperryville, VA 22740
Flowers will be accepted and/or donations may be made in his name to RAWL (Rappahannock Animal Welfare League): https://www.rawldogs.org/
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