Facing Des Moines: Meet David H. Maxwell

You probably know Des Moines native David Maxwell from school, 

• East High School where he was Student Body President in 1988-89
• University of Iowa where he majored in English
• North High School where he student-taught
• Lincoln High School where he taught English and African-American Literature for 8 years
• Iowa State University where he earned a master’s degree in educational leadership
• Hoover High School where he was Dean of Students for 3 years or
• Valley High School where he is currently one of three Associate Principals.

So depending on your age you may know him as David, Dave, or if you are young enough, as Mr. Maxwell, and no matter where you’ve met him, I’d wager a lot of money that you like him. He has a positive, proactive approach to life and supports the goals of those around him, whether they are supervisors, peers or students. 

David Maxwell is a family man, very appreciative and loving of his wife, three children, and parents. I asked him what advice he would give a grandchild if he had one. The advice is a good set of descriptors of the person I met.

• Read.
• Treat others as you would be treated.
• Count your blessings.  

David Maxwell also has a fun-loving persona expressed as “Flex” Maxwell, the bass guitarist and one of three members who founded Faculty Lounge eight years ago. You can listen to a very old interview and hear their music on You Tube, read their bios, or see their pictures from the Barack Obama rally in the East Village in May. If you’ve heard them lately, you know that Faculty Lounge is great fun, high energy, and very talented. Check their schedule and be ready to have fun.

Make no mistake. As fun and personable as he is, David has a wonderful intensity that may dawn on you only later. Those who have had him in a classroom may know this best. I asked him about books, and he quickly found and quoted passages from The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley (and reviewed recently in History Now). Now I’ve been out of high school for 50 years, I don’t do homework, and this autobiography has been around for over 40 years. But after David shared two quotes from the book, I bought it on my way home, stayed up late reading, and started in again this morning. That kind of intensity. He may be out of the classroom, but he is still the teacher. 

Watch for David Maxwell around Des Moines, at Valley High School, playing in Valley Junction (8/14) or Indianola (8/15), or just out and about.

James is James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.
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