Dr. David Wayne Sink

Dr. David Wayne Sink, who loved being a college professor, an astute political analyst, a fine (and not so fine) dining connoisseur and a world traveler, passed away on December 5, 2022. He was 79 and died of complications from Lewy Body Dementia in the Arkansas Hospice unit of St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock. David was devoted to his wife, Angela R. Parker; his extended family; his dogs, Hartley and Chasey, and his adopted hometown of Little Rock, where he moved in 1991 to teach at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. He was a professor of public administration until his retirement in 2015, and helped countless Arkansans become better leaders of governments and nonprofits. He was an inaugural professor at the Clinton School of Public Service, where he taught for four years. He also worked for the Little Rock City government, including developing a plan to combat homelessness; served as a community organizer; and was a frequent analyst of local issues for newspapers and television. David considered himself a “practical liberal.” Born in Flint, Michigan, and raised in South Bend, Indiana, David was a three-sport athlete at John Adams High School and an Eagle Scout. David went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Miami University in Ohio and a doctorate from the University of Georgia. In addition to UALR, he taught at Miami, the University of California at Riverside and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. David mixed his serious pursuits with a passion for the good things in life — a fine meal or bottle of wine, trips to New Orleans, the beach and the English countryside, and concerts and sporting events, especially UALR women’s and men’s basketball. He followed the Cincinnati Reds for decades. David served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain during the late 1960s, including a year in Turkey keeping tabs on the Soviet Union and drinking good scotch. He is survived by his wife, Angela; mother-in-law and dear friend, Donna Parker of Little Rock; brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Susan Sink of Ballston Spa, New York; nieces Elizabeth Holve (Michael) and Rachel McCann, also of Ballston Spa; niece Rachael Cunningham of Benton; two grandnephews and two grandnieces, and other extended family members in Arkansas and Indiana. David was predeceased by his parents, Dorothy K. Davis and L. Wayne Sink. He treasured a lifelong friendship with South Bend native Paul Levy, now of Concord, New Hampshire. David didn’t want a funeral — his sense of humor and irreverence wouldn’t countenance it — but there will be a celebration of life (likely an Irish-style wake) in the not-too-distant future. His favorite toast, “Here’s looking up your old address,” surely will be made. Many thanks for special friends and caregivers at UAMS, Arkansas Hospice and Essex Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Alumni Association, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204, or to a charity of your choice. Do not be sad at David’s passing. As his friend Paul Levy told David in his last days, “You led a great life. I’m so proud of what you did — the lives you touched and the communities you bettered.”

Dr. David Wayne Sink

August 18, 1943 - December 5, 2022