The Penn State Behrend community pay respect to the late professor David C. Falvo, lecturer of mathematics in the School of Science who impacted faculty, staff, and students with his passion for teaching.

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Falvo passed Friday Sept. 1 at St. Vincent Health Center, surrounded by loving friends and family.  He fought a courageous battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis for many years, in which his optimism and perseverance never hindered his spirits.

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Falvo graduated in 1986 from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. Post graduation, Falvo resided within the Penn State community and began his employment career at Penn State Behrend, where he taught mathematics from 1989 to present.

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The Penn State alumni was wholeheartedly considered a friendly face among faculty and staff in the School of Science department. Director of the School of Science, Dr. Kociolek, and Associate Director, Dr. Rutter, shared their colleague’s rewards and achievements, in which benefited not only faculty and staff members, but students of Dr. Falvo as well.

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“He won the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Allegheny Mountain Section Mathematical Association of America in 2000,” said Rutter. “That’s nominated by fellow faculty, so it says a lot that his fellow faculty nominated and voted for him for that.”

In addition, Falvo was nominated five times for the Behrend Council Fellow’s Teaching Award, an award in which students are the nominators.

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“His students loved him,” Rutter said. “Dave was always good about forwarding emails to me from students requesting me to get into his class because there was physically no room left in the classroom.”

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Not only did Falvo implement his teachings in the classroom, but through textbooks as well. Since 1992, Falvo worked for Larson Texts as a co-author of mathematics textbooks which were used in all calculus classes.

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Faculty and staff members who knew Falvo very well shared their favorite memories with the professor; memories in which displayed his caring and humorous personality.

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“Dave was also a giver of little things,” Rutter said. “Over the years, I received little gifts.” As a passionate Yankees fan, Falvo fell rival to Rutter’s dedication to the Boston Red Sox. One day, however, Rutter received a plastic Red Sox helmet as a gift from Falvo. “It sits in my office, with my Red Sox shrine,” Rutter said.

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Professor Blakney, lecturer in statistics, was a close friend to Falvo and enjoyed the humorous memories shared in the office.

“The clocks weren’t working in his room one day so he came down the hall wearing a big clock on his chest, like the rapper Flavor Flav,” Blakney said. “He wore it during class so students would know what time it was.”

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Falvo was not only well known for his creative tactics in the office, but also for his attire of jean shorts and black shoes

“It could be negative ten degrees outside and he would be wearing jean shorts and a Penn State sweatshirt,” Rutter said. “I can imagine the only pictures we have of Dave wearing pants are from his wedding and maybe a family portrait, that maybe his wife forced him to put on.”

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Professor Cupillari, lecturer in mathematics, shared Falvo’s random acts of kindness towards his faculty members.

“He was a kind of person who always helped from behind the scenes,” Cupillari said. “The days that you didn’t quite feel too well, then David would offer to cover your class.”

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Cupillari admired Falvo’s optimism and strength he expressed through his illness.  

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“Wednesday morning he taught class before going to the hospital and he wasn’t feeling well,” Cupillari said. “He took the quizzes to grade in the hospital with him. That’s the way he was.”

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Falvo’s teaching was highly respected by students who took his courses. Rose Kerr, a senior Environmental Science major, shared her experience with taking a calculus class taught by Falvo.

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“I like how he would often simplify things to make concepts a bit easier to understand,” Kerr said. “He would thank students for their participation if they offered an answer.”

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Kociolek appreciated the amount of commitment Falvo expressed to his students, in and out of the classroom. “Dave never wavered in his commitment to his student’s success,” Kociolek said. He added how Dave was always prepared to adapt to student’s learning abilities to help them succeed.

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According to Kociolek, Falvo received high ratings from several students who took his classes. “The fact that all these students who are talking about him, well after the fact that he had him freshman year, really emphasizes the impact he left on his students,” said Kociolek.

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Dr. Falvo will truly be missed by those who were impacted by his powerful personality which resonated throughout the faculty department and beyond. He was a mentor and a role model to several faculty members and students.

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“He was the second generation of Behrend faculty because he overlapped the generation of old faculty,” Rutter said. “We’re losing those connections back to the early days of Behrend. Dave was a connection to that.”

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Kociolek expressed his gratitude for Falvo’s mentoring attitude to newer faculty members.

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“He led by example,” Kociolek said. “When he started, there was a group of older faculty who took Dave under their wing when he started. I think that had a big effect on him. After that, he wanted to be a role model for people who came after him.”

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Dr. Falvo was loved  by all at community and is remembered today as a selfless professor, colleague, and friend to all.