Rash's Surname Index
Notes for David P. EASTBURN
Intelligencer, The (Doylestown, PA) - Thursday, October 13, 2005
Deceased Name: Doylestown's David P. Eastburn dies at 84
He was a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
It's not often you'll find someone who can knowledgeably discuss both symphonic music and government regulations concerning selective credit controls during the Korean War.
David P. Eastburn was one such man.
The 84-year-old, who died Tuesday at his Doylestown home, served as president of both the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Eastburn grew up in a prominent Central Bucks family - his father, Arthur, served as district attorney from 1926 to 1938 and was a founder of the noted law firm Eastburn & Gray - and joined the reserve bank in 1942.
He worked his way up through the ranks, becoming president in 1970 and staying until his retirement in 1981. As president, he was part of the Federal Reserve System's principal monetary policy-making body, the Federal Open Market Committee, meaning he helped make decisions that had a major effect on the economy.
His son Rod Eastburn said economics wasn't his father's prime concern, though.
"He's a funny guy," Rod said, "because although he dealt with billionaires and millionaires and money and that's what he did for a job, the people that he really worshipped were musicians and conductors and artists."
An amateur oboist, Eastburn was named to the orchestra's board of directors in 1976 and served with the group in a number of capacities over the years, including seven years as president.
"That was a full-time job back in those days," Rod Eastburn said. "He knew every musician and traveled with the orchestra all over the world."
He was also a founder of the Bucks County Symphony, staying active with the group until his death, and made music a large part of his family's life. Sandy, his wife of 56 years, plays the flute, and each of their four children plays at least one instrument.
While he had been in failing health recently, his son said the family took comfort in the fact that Eastburn died at home.
"Forgetting about all his accomplishments, the thing that I've been thinking about more than any of those things ... is what a kind man he was," Rod Eastburn said. "He was a very fortunate man because he was a very loved person."
In addition to his wife, children and their spouses, Eastburn is survived by three siblings and nine grandchildren.
Funeral services and interment will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Eastburn's memory to the Bucks County Symphony, P.O. Box 500, Doylestown, PA 18901, or the Philadelphia Orchestra, 260 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102.
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