By Marcos Crespo
Professor David Eye has been on quite the journey as the English instructor has pursued a variety of careers throughout his life.
Born and raised in Appomattox, Virginia, David studied at the College of William and Mary after taking a loan from the RLTC to major in Psychology. While there, he developed a passion for acting as he was able to star in a couple musical theatre productions.
“That [acting] was the only time I knew what I was doing,” he said.
But he couldn’t go straight into the acting business after finishing his degree, as he had to pay off his loan by serving 4 years of active duty in San Antonio, Texas as a troup unit's administrator.
However, this didn’t stop him from pursuing the arts as he signed up for dance class outside of his duties and was also able to perform with the military by touring in different cities.
On the military tour, where he went to places like Washington DC for Ronald Raegan’s Presidential inauguration, he realized he wanted to pursue a professional career in acting. He did so after serving and getting accepted into the New York Acting Academy.
After completing his studies at the academy and getting his equity card, he went on to star in a handful of productions most notably the Cats Broadway tour and appearing in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
After doing professional work for seventeen years with a part time job in a law firm as a word processor, he decided it was time to move onto something else.
“Writing was the only thing that ever appealed to me as I felt seen whenever I wrote,” he added.
He applied and got into the Fine Arts Work Center in Massachusetts where he took a memoir class with other accomplished poets and writers by his side. “To be taken seriously by these folks was very empowering for me,” he noted.
He also earned an MFA in Creative Writing at Syracuse University where he later taught along with New York University, Manhattan College, St. John’s University and Cazenovia College until transitioning to Ohio Wesleyan in the Fall of this year.
“I have found that the students here [at OWU] are open to do the work and explore”, which he appreciates and hopes to continue to see.