David Tabb died on January 27th at his home in Berkeley, surrounded by family. He was 83. Though Tabb’s health had been declining since summer, his vitality, intelligence, and kindness never left him, and a cancer diagnosis just two weeks prior to his death was a shock to us all. David was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on October 11, 1939, to Ben Tabb and Rose (Lovins) Tabb. After attending Antioch College and earning a Ph.D in Political Science and Government from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, David launched a career teaching political science with appointments at the University of Hawaii and Williams College in Massachusetts. His permanent home was California where he lived in Berkeley for 50 years, halfway between the gourmet district and public golf course. He always greeted visitors to his home with a hug and a glass of wine. David was chairman of San Francisco State University’s Political Science Department when his book, “Protest Is Not Enough: A Theory of Political Incorporation” was published in 1986. Tabb is survived by his children, Kevin, Lisa, and Jonah, their spouses Caron, Sam, and Ali, grandchildren Shai, Noam, Aaron, and Meleah, and beloved wife Judith. He was proceeded in death by his first wife, Connie. Maya Angelou’s famous quote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” captures David perfectly. He had a gift for forging deep and distinct relationships and made people from all walks of life feel loved.
