P. David Lagomarsino, esteemed professor at Dartmouth College, has died at age 80. He passed away after complications from cancer.

David was a teacher, a scholar, a craftsman, a traveler, an artist; a friend and mentor; and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

He taught history at Dartmouth College for 45 years. Since 2005, he held the Charles Hansen Professorship, an endowed chair that acknowledges outstanding teaching and the advancement of a liberal education.

He is renowned as one of the institution’s most legendary professors. From his “Spanish Armada” freshman seminar to the History 3 overview of “Europe in Medieval and Early Modern Times” and the more in-depth “Spain in the Golden Age”, thousands of students were enthralled by his classes and became better questioners, thinkers, and writers.

David received multiple accolades and recognition for his dedication to teaching and his students. After earning the John M. Manley Huntington Award for newly-tenured faculty in 1980, he went on to win the Jerome Goldstein Distinguished Teaching Award in 1984, 2005, and 2013; no person has won it more times. In 2017, he was awarded the Robert A Fish 1918 Memorial Prize for newly-retired faculty members, commemorating a career of contributions to undergraduate teaching.

At Dartmouth, he also served as department chair, associate dean, and special counselor to the provost. But his true passion was teaching, with a concentration on the controversial reign of Philip II, the 16th century Spanish king whose far-flung dominions became so vast that the sun never set on them.

P. David Lagomarsino was born in Washington, D.C., on July 18, 1946, to Alberto and Muriel Lagomarsino. David spent his early years in Buenos Aires’ Acassuso neighborhood, as his father worked as a pharmaceutical executive. While he would go on to travel the world, his roots as an Argentine ran deep, including his love for empanadas and tango and his fluency in Spanish.

His scholarship was first expressed at Atlantic College in Wales. This college—more like high school in the U.S.—was academically rigorous but also emphasized a healthy disregard for physical comfort. He sharpened his skills running rescue missions in lifeboats, rappelling cliffs, and orienteering across the Welsh countryside with only a compass and chocolate bar.

David earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1969, but only after spending a summer, funded by Harvard, studying the Welsh community in Patagonia, Argentina.

He received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1974 under the tutelage of Sir John Elliott, a leading historian of the early modern period in Europe. His degree, earned in only three years, included a dissertation on Philip II of Spain.

David met his soon-to-be wife, Nancy, at Harvard, as she was working nearby in the department of Celtic Languages and Literature. They were married on September 14, 1968.

David was a phenomenal father to sons Jeremy (married to Amy) and Peter (married to Giuliana). He had five grandchildren he loved dearly and who, in turn, loved him back: Julia, David, Jonah, Chloe, and Leonardo.

When not in the classroom or spending time with family and friends, David adored his hobbies. He was an inventor and an artist. He was a linguist. He was an early adopter of computers, co-developing a graphics-management program called ATLAS for the Apple Macintosh in 1986. He was an outstanding chef and made delicious tapas. He was a magician. He was a handyman, builder, and gardener. He loved traveling and exploring new places, even if just to pursue his goal of finding the best strawberry ice cream.

The world has lost a great man—someone who taught, nurtured, and inspired his family, students, friends, colleagues, and all those he encountered.

A private memorial service and burial will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Prouty, the signature fundraising event for the Friends of Dartmouth Cancer Center.