In Memoriam: David Windsor

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David Windsor, dean emeritus of admissions and records, died on Feb. 17. He was 97.

Windsor began working at the UA in 1945 as veterans coordinator in the Office of the Registrar. He later was promoted to assistant registrar and later registrar. He retired as dean of admissions and records in 1984, having served under five presidents during his nearly four decades at the UA.

Windsor was born in Casa Grande on July 4, 1921, and grew up in Prescott. He attended the UA and earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1943, at the height of World War II.

The Army drafted Windsor in the spring of his senior year, but he was allowed to finish his degree. Instead of attending his graduation ceremony, he reported to duty that night. Windsor was wounded in Anzio, Italy, and was treated in various military hospitals overseas for nine months. He returned to the U.S. and was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where he finished out his time in the military. His wounds in Anzio earned him a Purple Heart.

After Windsor was discharged, he returned to the UA and completed a Master of Arts in 1951.

His daughter, Randi Windsor, described him as being dedicated to the UA, and recalls watching him bring home work three or four nights a week.

"He would tell many, many people that he enjoyed going to work every day," she said. "He just loved the UA. When they say your blood runs red and blue, that was true with my dad."

Windsor was particularly dedicated to helping students succeed, she said. He often would receive Christmas cards from former students – often decades after their graduation ­– for whom he had helped sort out enrollment issues.

"He always made you feel like you were the most important person in the world," Randi Windsor said.

Windsor's responsibilities for much of his tenure included signing diplomas. Nearly 100,000 UA diplomas, issued between the early 1960s and his retirement in the early 80s, bear Windsor's signature, Randi Windsor said.

Windsor was an avid world traveler who visited all seven continents. One of his last trips, in 2005, was a UA-organized tour of Antarctica. He also was active in the community, volunteering for organizations such as the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross, Kiwanis de Amigos, and the YMCA of Southern Arizona.

In addition to his daughter, Windsor is survived by a grandson, Tony Miranda.

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. April 6 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd.