David Colvill Lincoln

David Colvill Lincoln, passed away peacefully at home on March 16, 2018 after a relatively brief illness. He was born on November 10, 1925 in Cleveland, OH to parents John C. and Helen C. Lincoln. His father was the founder of the Lincoln Electric Company in 1895 and to this day it is the world's leading welding company. His mother taught biology at the college level prior to her marriage.Early childhood was spent in Cleveland, OH, but the family moved to Paradise Valley, AZ when David was 6 years old. Primary and middle school education was at the Judson School and he then attended North High School. He pursued his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), but always said that the offer from MIT in Cambridge was compelling because of the opportunity to sail on the Charles River. David met his adored wife Joan while at CalTech through her brother Eberhardt. One evening while she was at dinner, he called her and asked her to be his wife. She said yes. The happiest day of his life. They were married on July 29, 1950. After the wedding, they settled on Long Island where David worked for the Sperry Gyroscope Company. But his true calling and passion was for the family set of businesses and in 1957 the family moved to a suburb of Cleveland, OH. David and Joan had four children: Virginia Louise, Kathryn Jo, Carl Richard and James Robert. Summers were spent at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, where he attended every lecture, service and performance each day. He often said that he needed a vacation from his vacation! Once the family moved to Arizona in 1965, the family vacations became lengthy road trips to see and learn about the United States. David would often give the children a test when they returned! He was fanatical about exercise. His weekend run was usually a half marathon and over the course of his documented running experience he logged over 50,000 miles. On weekends, if he was not running or working in his wood shop making beautiful furniture, he would be found with his sons hiking in the mountains in the Phoenix area. And he was a life-long member of his church choir. When asked about what he did for a living he would characterize himself as an entrepreneur with several initiatives active at one time. Over the course of his career they were as varied as specialty batteries to ethics games to concrete pavers and dust suppression systems.Other than his family, his passions and legacies revolve around education. In 1974 he established the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, based in Cambridge, MA which seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. With the Taiwan government, he founded the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training in Taoyuan, Taiwan. He had the tenacity to attend 49 of the annual meetings, to help shape the training programs to more than 17,000 international participants.His other legacy is the newly formed Claremont Lincoln University, which he and others created to help diverse students not only learn about ethics, but how to be ethical. The core principle is the Golden Rule combined with a strong belief that ethical behavior and interfaith cooperation will solve many of the world's greatest dilemmas. David is survived by his four children, six grandchildren and twelve nieces and nephews. Memorial Service will be at 11:30 A.M. Saturday, April 7, 2018 at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest consideration of a gift in his honor be made to one of the following charities:Claremont Lincoln University, 250 West First Street, Suite 330, Claremont, CA 91711Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 113 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-3400California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125David & Joan Lincoln Fund for Applied Ethics Chautauqua Foundation, P. O Box 28, Chautauqua, NY 14722