Shortly after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, Otterbein vocal and opera professor David Price died Monday morning at 7:30. At the time of his death, he was at home with his family in Kentucky.
In mid-July, Price was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. Additional tests showed that the cancer spread to his lymph nodes.
On August 27, Price decided to stop chemotherapy, as well as any other medical treatments. Four days later, Price travelled back home to Kentucky to be with his family while under hospice care.
Professor Harriet Rawlins Hill, auditions coordinator for the Department of Theatre and Dance, created a donation website on August 19 for Price through gofundme.com. There, Hill updated friends and family on Price’s condition as well as urged others to donate. The money donated is going to Price’s medical bills, funeral and other expenses. The projected goal was to raise $10,000. As of Tuesday evening, the donation website has raised $20 more than the listed goal.
Senior vocal performance major Andrew Szczerba studied singing privately with Price for a year and took diction and vocal pedagogy classes with him. Szczerba said he never saw Price without a smile on his face and that he had a distinct passion for what he did.
“David’s impact was that he was a very positive, outgoing person,” Szczerba said. “He genuinely cared about everyone he worked with. His passion was evident. That was the impact that he left.”
The most important thing Szczerba learned from Price: “breath support is crucial,” he jokes. Also, “he showed you how you need to be. You need to be passionate about what you do and share that passion.”
