David Adamany

Early life

Adamany was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, on September 23, 1936, to Walter Joseph and Dora Marie Adamany, both of Lebanese immigrant descent. He was the oldest of four Adamany children, including one brother and two sisters.

After graduating from high school, he received a full scholarship to Harvard University, where he completed his degree in government (magna cum laude, 1958) and juris doctor (J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School (1961). He continued his education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, under the advisement and mentorship of Dr. Leon Epstein, where he received a Ph.D. in political science in 1967.

Academic career

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, David joined Wesleyan University, where he was professor of government (1967–1972) and dean of the college (1969–1970). He returned to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, as professor of political science (1972–1977), before going on to California State University at Long Beach as professor of political science and vice president for academic affairs (1977–1980).

During 1980–1982, David joined the University of Maryland system as professor of political science at the College Park and Baltimore County campuses, as well as vice president of academic affairs for the entire university system.

He joined Wayne State University as its president from 1982 to 1997. Adamany then was chief executive officer of the Detroit Public Schools from 1999 to 2000, a position he was appointed to by Michigan governor John Engler as part of a restructuring of school governance. After that he became the eighth president of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was for six years.

From 2004 until his death, he was a member of the Board of Visitors for Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

His early career was in the state of Wisconsin as special assistant to the attorney general (1961–1963) and pardon counsel to governor John W. Reynolds (1963). At the age of 27, he was appointed as a member of Wisconsin's public service commission (1963–1965). In Wisconsin governor Patrick J. Lucey's administration, David was special advisor to the governor and Wisconsin secretary of revenue (1973–1976).