David Watson ‘Dave’ Dunaway was born in Richmond, KY, the son of Kate and Harlan Dunaway and the brother of Stuart (Wally), his twin. Dave’s father, who retired as a master sergeant after a 26-year career in the U.S. Air Force, was a crew chief on tankers and bombers. When Dave entered seventh grade, the family moved to Otis Air Force Base in Cape Cod, MA, where Dave spent the rest of his childhood and developed a love for the Cape that lasted for the rest of his life.

Dave and Wally were the first twins in Massachusetts who both made Eagle Scout. At Bourne High School on Cape Cod, Dave was an excellent student and a standout athlete in baseball and football, pitching a one-hitter against the number one team in Massachusetts and leading his football team, as co-captain, to a 9-0 season record. He also played clarinet in the high school band and was vice president of the band and Bourne High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society.

There was never a question about what Dave wanted next. From his fifth birthday on, Dave wanted to go to West Point. In the second grade, he and some of his young friends did something at school that warranted a visit to the principal’s office. Confronted by his principal for his minor misdeed, Dave was contrite but insisted that he could not afford any blemish on his record because he was going to West Point. Dave never wavered from that goal and arrived with the rest of his class on July 1, 1965 with a commitment to the ideals and values of West Point. That commitment lasted all of his life.

Dave’s natural inclinations toward Duty, Honor, Country were aligned with West Point’s right from the start, and the stresses and demands of the place, which occasionally demoralized many of the best of his classmates, simply didn’t affect Dave. His enthusiasm for practically every aspect of cadet life sometimes bordered on corniness, but it inspired those around him and set an example of  “doing the right thing” that few could match. He was a model of selflessness and fair play in every aspect of life—from helping classmates with differential equations to playing intramural sports for Company C-4. It certainly extended to the many ladies he dated. He promised one girl that he would take her to the graduation dance, and he did, even though he became engaged to his beloved Nancy in the meantime. And typical of Dave, he explained the situation thoroughly to both girls ahead of time.

Nancy and Dave married on December 27, 1969, and Dave’s devotion to Nancy and the family they made together is the only thing in his life that was as steadfast as his devotion to the values of West Point.

Dave followed his father and took his commission in the U.S. Air Force. He and Nancy spent over four years at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York. It was in Plattsburgh that Dave and Nancy’s daughter, Keely, was born on April 12, 1974, the same day as Nancy’s birthday. Dave’s tour there included four months in the summer of 1972 of temporary duty in Utapao, Thailand, fueling bombers and fighters over Vietnam. Dave loved flying, and he was a gifted leader of his KC-135 tanker crews and forged bonds of fellowship that lasted the rest of his life. His acumen in the world of fuels led to an offer to join Mobil Oil Company, which he did in 1974.

Dave’s career at Mobil, later ExxonMobil, lasted 28 years and took him to 58 different countries. In this second career with ExxonMobil, as in his first with the U.S. Air Force, Dave’s absolute integrity and deep patriotism distinguished him and earned him the respect and admiration of all with whom he worked or associated. He was an executive in supply as well as sales and marketing, and he finished his career as the manager responsible for all petroleum product sales to the U.S. government worldwide. His proudest contribution was his role in preparing for our country’s needs soon after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Dave realized that we would need a great deal more jet fuel available near the Middle East. On his own authority, he effected a change in ExxonMobil’s refinery production at Catania, Sicily to provide much more JP-4. Dave’s foresight and actions were critical for the U.S. military response to 9/11 in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Dave’s account became the largest of the Defense Energy Support Center, Defense Logistics Agency.

After retiring from ExxonMobil, Dave enjoyed golf, flying, his growing family and Cape Cod. He was active as a member of the Quiet Birdmen, and he served on the West Point Selection Committee responsible for his area in the vicinity of Washington, DC. On June 24, 2013, he went home to be with the Lord. He is the loving husband of 43 years to Nancy Dunaway and devoted father of Keely (Francesco) Lauretti, brother of Stuart Dunaway, and cherished grandfather of Daniel David and Luke Michael Lauretti. His family and his classmates miss him dearly, but his example lives on. Writing as his roommate, I avow that Dave’s integrity was as great as I have ever experienced. Dave served his country well and did great credit to the Long Gray Line.

— Phil Clark, classmate