David Coffey
Dr. David McMillian Coffey was born February 17, 1950, to parents J.D. and Lois Coffey. David spent his childhood years on the family farm in Cumberland County, near Burkesville, Kentucky. As a high school student, he was the first 4-H exchange student to go to Indonesia. He then came to WKU, where he was active as a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. Following earning his Bachelor of Science in agriculture from WKU in 1971, he returned to earn a master’s degree as well. He went on to earn an Ed.D in Vocational Technical Education from Virginia Tech in 1978.
David’s accomplishments were multiple and varied. His passion was using every moment to teach, both inside and outside of the classroom. Because of this, he gained a reputation as an outstanding instructor in his more than three decades at WKU. His popular rural sociology classes were legendary, resulting in WKU Teacher of the Year awards. His curriculum for animal rights and animal welfare was used nationwide. He led numerous study abroad trips to Australia, Argentina, and Costa Rica. Since 1992, WKU sponsored his group trips to places like Ecuador and Galapagos Islands. These trips influenced the lives of hundreds of students and faculty.
David was also the WKU faculty member in charge of the Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders for many years. His outstanding record in student advisement led him to become the first director of the WKU Office of Undergraduate Advisement. He was later director of educational enhancement programs, TriO, and student disability services. He was a leader in the People Learning Other Ways (PLOW) project, a collaboration between WKU and UK, which helps bridge the gap between farmers and migrant workers. He received a WKU President’s Award for Diversity in 2010 for PLOW and for his work abroad with Partners for Americas. He served on the Kentucky FFA Foundation and was a member of the national FFA Board of Directors, and received the national FFA HO Sargent Award for Diversity as well.
David’s most important role was as father. He had three children, Coco Coffey, Kristie Guffey, and Antonio Echeverria. After a brief illness, David passed away on March 20, 2014.
Upon his retirement from WKU, David established the David Coffey Scholarship Fund. The fund assists deserving WKU students, with first preference given to students who are residents of Cumberland County, Kentucky, and are majoring in agriculture. Through this fund, David’s memory lives on in perpetuity.