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David J. Theroux: Difference between revisions
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Added substantial material on Theroux's personal life obtained from Mary Theroux's memorial. More to come.
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NickGausling (talk | contribs) (Added substantial material on Theroux's personal life obtained from Mary Theroux's memorial. More to come.) |
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Theroux's entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of the YouTube video series "Love Gov" in collaboration with Emergent Order. This series aimed to satirize and critique the intrusiveness and cost of big government, targeting mainstream Millennials. The series gained significant popularity and received numerous awards. | Theroux's entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of the YouTube video series "Love Gov" in collaboration with Emergent Order. This series aimed to satirize and critique the intrusiveness and cost of big government, targeting mainstream Millennials. The series gained significant popularity and received numerous awards. | ||
==Personal Life== | ==Personal Life and Intellectual Journey== | ||
Theroux was born in East Lansing, Michigan, on May 25, 1949, and his family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, a few weeks later. <ref name=":0">[https://www.independent.org/multimedia/detail.asp?id=7307 Celebration of the Life of David J. Theroux: The Legacy and Future of Liberty (March 28, 2023)]</ref> | |||
As a teenager, Theroux was given a copy of Barry Goldwater's famous book, ''The Conscience of a Conservative'', by his mother. He would late become an Eagle Scout, and also obtained a commission to the U.S. Air Force Academy during the Vietnam War. During the Academy's famous Vietcong prison simulations, Theroux was a rare exception among cadets that did not sign the forced confession. During this time, he began to understand that the war ran contrary to the founding principles of American freedom. At the conclusion of his third year, he resigned from the Academy without graduating. <ref name=":0" /> | |||
Still under contract for two years of military service and not wanting to go to Vietnam, Theroux obtained a domestic assignment at a little-known base in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he spent most of his time in the base's library and eventually came across F.A. Hayek's essay "Why I am Not a Conservative." Starting fom Hayek's sources in that essay, Theroux embarked on an extensive journey of study across topics related to liberty. <ref name=":0" /> | |||
After completing his Air Force contract, Theroux attended the University of California, Berkeley, studying math and engineering, where he was shocked by his encounters with communists on campus upon learning of their political intentions. Around this time he attended a conference at Stanford University where he was introduced to C.S. Lewis ''The Abolition of Man'', which further set him on learning path towards a philosophical framework for opposing the communist agenda. With his credits transferring from the Air Force Academy, Theroux graduated from Berkeley after only one year with dual Bachelor's degrees in math and engineering. One year later he obtained a Master's degree. <ref name=":0" /> | |||
Theroux then worked as a petroleum engineer in both Texas and Louisiana. Meanwhile, he continued his studies and came across both the [[Foundation for Economic Education]] and the [[Institute for Humane Studies]], becoming friends with both of their respective founders, [[Leonard Read]] and [[F. A. "Baldy" Harper]]. He was introduced to the [[Mont Pelerin Society]] in 1975 by [[Roger MacBride]], who became the [[Libertarian Party]] nominee for President of the United States the following year. At the Mount Pelerin meeting, Theroux met [[Milton Friedman]], who encouraged him to apply to graduate school at the University of Chicago. <ref name=":0" /> <ref>[[Roger MacBride]]</ref> | |||
In 1976, shortly before entering the Economics PhD program at the University of Chicago, Theroux married his first wife, Elane Shipp ''(correct spelling unknown)'', who he had earlier met in Shreveport. <ref name=":0" /> | |||
Throughout his life, Theroux remained committed to his family and considered them his highest joy. He is survived by his wife, Mary Theroux, who worked alongside him, his two sons, Paul and Drake Theroux, and his grandchildren. Theroux's sudden passing on April 23, 2022, due to an undetected aortic aneurysm, was a great loss to the libertarian community. | Throughout his life, Theroux remained committed to his family and considered them his highest joy. He is survived by his wife, Mary Theroux, who worked alongside him, his two sons, Paul and Drake Theroux, and his grandchildren. Theroux's sudden passing on April 23, 2022, due to an undetected aortic aneurysm, was a great loss to the libertarian community. | ||