Douglas Pierce Phd

Douglas Robert Pierce, age 43, died by suicide at his home in San Luis Obispo, California, on December 5, after a lifelong battle with depression. Doug, as he was known to friends and family, was born March 13, 1977, in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. Doug was an artistic and creative child who was an avid reader and excellent student. He was inseparable from his two other brothers, Dennis and Andrew.

Following his parents’ divorce, Doug moved with his mother and siblings to Toledo, Ohio, where he received a scholarship to and graduated from St. John's Jesuit High School & Academy. After graduation, he moved back to the East Coast to attend Connecticut College, earning his B.A. in English and Sociology, while working part-time on campus. Outside of academics, Doug was also active in the college music scene, playing the drums in multiple bands and DJ-ing for the college radio station.

After graduation, Doug moved to New York City where he met back up with his two brothers and worked as a tutor for The Princeton Review. He also authored and co-authored well-reviewed books on test preparation: Cracking the GRE, Conquering GMAT Verbal and Writing, Cracking the TOEFL IBT, and Reading and Writing Workout for the New SAT. Doug remained active in music during this time playing drums in various bands, most notably with a successful Patsy Cline tribute act A Poor Man’s Roses. As a child, Doug loved watching ice hockey on TV, and this led him to take up the sport as an adult. Along with his brother, Dennis, The Pierce Brothers spent many evenings at Chelsea Piers learning to ice skate and playing hockey (in some cases, both at the same time) for teams affiliated with the New York City Gay Hockey Association. While living in New York, Doug also found time to attend New York University, where he received his M.A. in Politics

After getting his Master’s degree, Doug moved to New Jersey where he continued his academic career at Rutgers University and earned his Ph.D in Political Science. He also focused on starting his own family with the birth of his daughter Persephone and son Wolfgang. After receiving his doctorate, Doug took lecturer positions at colleges in Washington D.C. and Nebraska before becoming a political science lecturer at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. His political science career led to him publishing articles on voting and the social influences on political information. Some of his notable publications included Uninformed Votes?: Reappraising Information Effects and Presidential Preferences (published 2015), and Polarization and Correct Voting in US Presidential Elections (published 2019).

Outside of his academic, musical, work, and family achievements, Doug also loved reading science fiction and fantasy books, playing video games, and running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Doug was highly intelligent and an accomplished academic, but he was not a stodgy professor. He was an eccentric, fun-loving, and gregarious person who, like a true drummer, embraced the outsize personality of his musical idols John Bonham and Keith Moon. Doug enjoyed getting together with friends for quiz nights, happy hours, or any other reason to make people laugh and greet them with a big smile.

Doug leaves behind his children, Persephone and Wolfgang; two brothers, Dennis and Andrew; two sisters, Denise and Patricia; mother Patricia and father Dennis.

A gathering will be planned once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, we are requesting contributions to the college funds for Doug's kids. Money in this pool will be split between each of their 529 plans. Thank you for honoring Doug in this way:

https://paypal.me/pools/c/8uXkWlLdTm