We just received news that John David Fernandez, a student at Columbia and major supporter of the Austrian School, has died. He reviewed the Mises University after last summer’s event. He is pictured below, on the left in the wheelchair. Deepest condolences to the family, and may he rest in peace.
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tragic when someone so young dies. Which one is John?
Sean-
JD is the one on the far left.
RIP JD. He was as dedicated to liberty as anyone and had planned to go to U-Rey Juan Carlos to pursue a PhD under Huerto de Soto. The Austro-libertarian movement is worse off by his loss.
Hes the one on the left. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Mises University 2009. He was very solid on his Austrian Economics, and its truly a shame that his life was cut so short. He would’ve done great things for the cause of liberty.
I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. Hard. David had invited me to speak at Columbia. It was at his suggestion that I came up with the title for that talk:
Feb 2. New York City, Columbia University, Alfred Lerner Hall, 8-10pm; topic: Austrian Economics and Libertarian Political Philosophy, plus, my life as a student at Columbia in the late 1960s, reminiscing about the people I met then: my teachers at Columbia: Gary Becker, Jacob Mincer, Phillip Cagan, Arthur Burns, Albert Hart, Jagdish Bhagwhati, William Vickrey, William Landes, Roger Alcaly; from NYC: Murray N. Rothbard, Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden, Robert Nozick, and Ludwig von Mises; if you do not have access to Columbia University ID, contact: John David Fernandez, Columbia College, Vice President, Columbia University Libertarians; djf2125@columbia.edu; 718 300 8149
I shall dedicate this lecture to David
This is a real tragedy; I really enjoyed getting to know him at Mises U and trading notes afterward. Here’s his review article on it: http://mises.org/daily/3656.
This is terrible news. JD was one of the most memorable, enthusiastic and fun to be around people I met at Mises University 2009. I feel one of the bright sparks of the new Austrian movement has been unfortunately extinguished.
My deepest respects are with him, and I must send his family my deepest condolences.
Rest in peace my friend.
that link again
http://mises.org/daily/3656
I met JD when he invited me to be one of the speakers for last October’s libertarian event at Columbia University. He was as nice a young man in person as he was via e-mail, and we stayed in contact on a regular basis afterwards.
Tonight my schedule will end with a prayer for JD, his life was ended far too soon for our liking. God bless his soul.
A sad loss, he sounds like he was a fine young man. He is in my family’s prayers.
I befriended John David at Mises University 2009. He and I were the two wheelchair-bound students. It was wonderful to see another individual of similar circumstances integrate himself so much intellectually and socially. I would have loved to see what he could have achieved for himself and libertarianism.
RIP, David.
I am in this picture with JD, someone who I will always remember fondly. I spoke with him only a few days ago in hopes that the three of us here would be able to start a blog together. I am deeply, deeply saddened by his death; some part of me is still convinced of my initial reaction when I first heard the news — that it was some immensely cruel falsehood being circulated.
Very sad news, such a young person and obviously one who made a lasting impression on those around him. My condolences to his family and friends.
I remember seeing the young students pictured above when Mises blog originally ran their post on that Mises University event. I’m sure John would have wanted his fellow Austrians to redouble their efforts towards promoting liberty in the months and years ahead.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.
It is always a tragedy when somone so young and full of promise dies. JD was a special person in the sense that he combined personal courage and determination with a deep devotion to the ideals of liberty. He was also a budding Austrian. He visited me in my office at NYU a few months ago. He told me that he was interested in attending my colloquium. While he did not have the time during the Fall, he hoped he would during the Spring semester.
I must admit that I was a bit taken aback when I first met him. I did not expect a “disabled” person in a wheelchair. But after a few minutes of conversation I realized what an energetic and enthusiasatic and bright person this was. I was amazed when he told he had driven to NYU from Columbia.
I am happy that I participated in the conference he put together. I am sure it was a success. We have lost someone of significance.
The quality of a life is not measured simply in years. He used his years wisely.
I did not know him, but I’m sure he would have been a compatriot.
Condolences.
Mr. John David Fernandez stood out from the crowd because of his energy and enthusiasm as well as his intellect and curiosity. He was happy, he was loved, and he was committed and successful in the battle for liberty. I sat next to him at Mises U and he always had a tough question for me during all the break times. I recently agreed to work with him on the New York City budget committee. I am thankful for having met this “infant” Austrian economist and being inspired by him. His recent email to me is below.
======================
From: John Fernandez
To: mthornton@prodigy.net
Sent: Tue, January 12, 2010 9:03:16 PM
Subject: City Council Budget Committee
Dear Dr. Thornton,
Happy New Year and hope all is well.
Again congratulations on your skyscraper index and its widely popular success. I saw the review on CNN.com. I told a bunch of my friends about it after MU09 and they are all shocked now. They all want to apply to MU.
Btw, I am working as an intern on the NYC City Council budget committee. I’m trying to apply some market-based reforms in the Austrian way…(most of the politicians working here have never heard of Mises, Samuelson or Keynes.. they aren’t very up to speed on their econ literature shall we say. I’m not surprised they asked me to come.)
I have a couple ideas, that I may want to run by a legitimate doctor of economic science, since I’m still but an infant.
Let me know if this sounds good.
Thanks,
John David Fernandez
Ludwig von Mises Institute
CC ’12 – Economics – Philosophy
VP, Columbia University Libertarians
This is terrible. I met him at Mises U last summer. We spoke in the bookstore several times. My condolences to his family.
John David was a great person. All the staff at the MI thought he was so wonderful and kind. We enjoyed getting to know him. Students like him make me want to come to work everyday! (even in the hot Auburn summers) All our prayers go to his family. He will be missed.
He had intellectual curiosity and a good heart; at the end of the day, that’s what counts.
This is sad indeed. I met John at Mises University this past year and actually ran into him outside Columbia just a few weeks ago (It’s easy to spot him with the “End the Fed” bumper sticker on his wheelchair).
My prayers and condolences go out to his family.
I only know him from the original blog posting of the student group at Columbia and from all the sweet tributes paid to him by those who knew him.
May his spirit be like leaven to the cause of liberty!
Terrible, terrible news. He’ll be sorely missed.
Just heard about this a few hours ago and I still can’t believe it. I met him at Mises U last summer and he was one of my peers down there who struck me as the most learned and devoted student of liberty among us, the type that makes you wonder why you aren’t reading and studying more than you already are. He’ll be missed.
I met David in high school. We became good friends after sophomore year. He was one of the sweetest people you could have ever met. He was a joy to be around. He always seemed to lit the room up. I feel very blessed to have met him and have been in his life. He will always be remembered and loved.
Very sad news.
I extend my condolences to people who knew him.
I’d like to echo Kristy’s statement from above. He and his fantastic father and mother were always pleasure to have here at the institute during our events. The whole staff thinks very fondly of the whole Fernandez family, and are deeply saddened by their loss.
My condolences to JD’s family, it is always rough when a loved one passes away.
I’ve made a modest donation to LvMI with the special subject “John David Fernandez Memorial Prize” that will be given at MU 2010 to the attendee who “shows the most avid and earnest interest in learning and spreading the Austrian ideology of freedom and peace.”
I’ve dedicated this article I wrote today to JD’s memory. http://towneforcongress.com/economy/remarks-on-martin-luther-king-jr-day-and-new-radio-show-announcement
Tu Ne Cede Malis.
Jake Towne, MU 2009
TowneForCongress.com
“Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now… I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken… The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.” – MLK
Dear Friends in Liberty,
As I’m sure most of you know, our friend and fellow Mises U 2009 alumnus John David “JD†Fernandez succumbed to pneumonia Saturday night. For those of you who have not heard, there is a post on the Mises blog regarding the manner. (Facebook’s advertisement blocker is keeping me from sending the link.)
JD was our beloved friend and future colleague. During the one week we spent learning to love freedom together down in Auburn, I suspect nobody made more new friends than JD.
For a young person, JD’s record of libertarian activism is impressive. From organizing NYC liberty conferences to arranging guest lectures by Mises professors on his campus, JD had already done more than his fair share of the work to promote and spread the ideology of liberty.
With this in mind, I do not feel it’s right to allow his legacy of activism to pass out of our minds. Fortunately, thanks to the enthusiastic support of Mises President Doug French, there will now be a “John David Fernandez Memorial Prize†given to a student at Mises U this upcoming summer and in the future, if financial support makes that possible.
The Mises Institute will handle all donations to the Memorial Prize Fund. Donations in JD’s honor should be made directly to the Mises Institute, either online (again I can’t send links, but one can click the little piggy on the left of the front page’s top bar) or through mail, but donations MUST be designated for “John David Fernandez Memorial Fund,†or the computerized system will put donations into the default general fund.
To do this, one must select “Designated to†from the dropdown menu, and type “John David Fernandez Memorial Fund†in the following box. Any level of support is appreciated by the Institute and JD’s family and is welcomed.
Thank you very much for your time, and RIP John David Fernandez.
Eric M. Staib
This is a wonderful idea. It’s so great that you thought of it and pushed it. Doug’s thought is a good one too: going to the most enthusiastic and dedicated student, the one who stands out in helping and inspiring others. It makes sense.
I was a classmate of his for Mises University 2009 and am saddened by his loss. I didn’t get to know him very well, but he was definitely a positive and knowledgeable man, to say the least. My prayers are with his family.
John David Fernandez was the greatest person i have meet to this day and taught me so much, he is the one that creates my drive to studying and is the main reason why i wish to one day become a part of Columbias student body, but believe me what he started will not be simply absolved by time, it will become true as his wish for freedom is too great to be ignored, i was his nephew and i have promised myself my family and all the people that knew him that i will continue with what he wanted and with the legacy that he left us, teaching to overcome all obstacles that cross our paths. the funeral for this young libertarian will be Friday, but do not worry his actions will not be in vain
I know David for long time , he was always happy and ready to make you feel good about life . even he was in wheelchair he always have more energy and inspiration and his life was full joy and happiness.
David you will be deeply miss . you always will be in my heart . love you aunt
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