David Allan Derbyshire

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Who could have imagined that he could achieve so much in just 25 short years? David was a genuinely wonderful person. He loved life, his family, his friends and he loved his school -- Old Dominion University. David was a born leader and might have gone into politics, owned a business or somehow made the world a better place if he had lived. 

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David was destined to be a great leader and he started down this path at Hampton High School when he joined the Distributive Education Clubs of America organization. DECA is an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. During high school he worked for JC Penney. He won a national award with Penney’s for student leadership. At the presentation in New York City, when the CEO of JC Penney asked Dave his career goal, Dave informed him it was to take the CEO’s spot when he was ready to step down! Dave held various offices in his high school organization and eventually held the Office of State Wide Vice-President of DECA.

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When he came to Old Dominion University he thought long and hard about which organization to join, should it be a traditional  fraternity or should he join a service organization? He soon decided that Circle K Order, a co-ed service fraternity supported by Kiwanis International, was the place for him. The Circle K Order organization promotes service, builds leaders and fosters fellowship. These are all the major qualities of David.

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David joined ODU’s Circle K Order organization and was soon a leader among the group. He ultimately became the President of the local chapter and was very instrumental in the success of the organization. Due to his leadership, the Circle K Order organization donated many hours to fix or repair homes for the elderly near ODU, raised and donated considerable money to other charities, and continued to grow. Among his other activities, David was the Co-Chairman of a 50-hour Dance-a-thon at ODU which raised money for Muscular Dystrophy Association. He loved being a leader of the event just as much as participating in the event. David loved ODU, Circle K and his friends so much that when his parents moved back to California after a military career he stayed in Norfolk to finish his education at ODU. David was an organizer whether it was a CKO event or an intramural sports group; he could always rally his friends and get something going.

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After graduation David went to work in sales with the U.S. Gypsum Company. Naturally, he also joined the Downtown Norfolk Kiwanis Club to continue to be involved in a service organization that he felt so strongly about.

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Tragically, Dave’s life was cut short due to an aneurysm at the age of 25. He left behind his wife, his parents, a brother and a sister.

David always had a smile on his face and was always willing to help a friend. He always put others first and would do anything to help someone out.

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Although David only lived for 25 years, he made a huge difference in many people’s lives. For those of us who knew and loved him, there is no better way than for us to honor his memory than to offer this scholarship in his name. He was a great leader, a fun loving guy and someone we are proud to call our friend.