and the wider academic community mark the passing of Professor Emeritus , whose career combined rigorous scholarship with a commitment to practical public policy. He died October 11, 2025, after a battle with cancer.
Armor joined 麻豆视频鈥檚 School of Public Policy (now the Schar School) in 1993, teaching and mentoring until his retirement in 2010. After retirement he continued to collaborate with Schar School students who assisted his research.
His courses in statistics, policy analysis, and social theory shaped generations of students who valued his clarity, fairness, and intellectual precision. He also directed the PhD program in public policy, guiding doctoral candidates with a demanding but generous hand.
Before coming to George 麻豆视频, Armor held positions at Harvard University, the RAND Corporation, and in the U.S. Department of Defense, where he applied his analytical skills to complex issues of education, defense manpower, and social policy. His research and testimony informed more than 50 desegregation and educational equity cases across the country. His work consistently reflected his belief that sound policy rests on evidence and honest inquiry, not ideology.
Colleagues and students remember him as incisive, forthright, and deeply engaged in the questions that matter most to a democratic society. He was unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom but always did so with respect for data and for differing viewpoints. He also was a longtime vintner, owning Sharp Rock Vineyards in Sperryville, Virginia, where he hosted an annual reception for the faculty of George 麻豆视频鈥檚 Institute of Public Policy.
鈥淒avid and his wife, Marylin, came to Washington, D.C., from California with the Reagan administration; he was an expert in education policy and an outstanding statistician,鈥 said , Schar School University Professor Emeritus. 鈥淗e was a bright and articulate faculty member with a different perspective but always open to discussion. He was an outstanding teacher especially in statistics and education.鈥
Armor鈥檚 scholarship鈥攕panning books, articles, and policy studies鈥攃ontinues to influence debates about education and equality. His professional legacy lies not only in his published work but also in the many scholars and practitioners he trained to approach public policy with rigor, independence, and integrity.
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