David Hume, former IBM executive and Andover cattle farmer, was 87

David S. Hume, 87, passed away on Monday, June 29, 2015 at Wake Robin in Shelburne. He was born on May 2, 1928 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Kenneth and Elizabeth (Newman) Hume. He was raised in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., attended Poly Prep, graduating in 1946. He worked for Merrill Lynch in lower Manhattan before attending Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., graduating in 1951 with a BA.

David Hume, a former IBM executive, became cattle rancher in Andover.

After being accepted at Harvard Business School, Mr. Hume was drafted by the U.S. Army. He went to Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training, received a late draft deferment but continued with the U.S. Army to places such as Fort Benning in Georgia, Aberdeen in Maryland and a one-year tour as an infantry platoon leader in Korea where he earned the Bronze Star Medal.

In 1953, after active military Mr. Hume worked for a small company in Brooklyn, reapplied to Harvard Business School and was accepted for the 1954 school year.

Mr. Hume married Barbara Louise Burns on June 26, 1954 and together they went off to Cambridge for two years of business school. He graduated from HBS in June 1956 with an MBA. Their daughter, Lauren, was born in May 1955 and sons Brad and David Jr. followed in April 1957 and May 1959 respectively with David Jr. sharing the May 2 birth date with his father.

After business school, Mr. Hume joined IBM in Endicott, N.Y. and had various analytical and managerial positions with finance in White Plains, Armonk and New York City. He moved into the international arena with assignments in Vienna, Austria, as controller of IBM’s operations in Eastern Europe in 1970 for four years, and in Paris, France, as controller for Africa and the Middle East until 1976 when he returned to IBM World Trade in White Plains, N.Y. Mr. Hume resigned from IBM at the end of May 1978 and the next day daughter, Lauren, joined IBM en route to becoming a systems engineer.

In 1964, the family purchased a farm in Andover, Vt., which served as a vacation home and home base for the family over the years. When Mr. Hume left IBM, he made a 180-degree turn and became a full-time beef cattle farmer in Andover. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he served on a number of agricultural, town and advisory boards including the Andover Planning Commission, and the Andover Town Select Board. He also served as president of the Vermont Beef Producers Association, president of the Northeast Beefalo Association, director of the Vermont Beef Industry Council, director of Andover Community Fund, and co-chair of the Regional Steering Committee for the Vermont Land Trust. He also sat on the UVM Southern Extension Advisory Board.

In July 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Hume moved to Wake Robin in Shelburne, where they have been under the loving care of the Wake Robin staff ever since.

Mr. Hume is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara of Shelburne; daughter, Lauren Baker and her husband Gary of Chester; sons Bradford Hume of Burlington and David Hume Jr. of Putney; and sister Ann O’Brien of Marshfield. He was predeceased by his sister Polly Keck of Andover.

He is also survived by grandchildren Jeff Baker of Denver, Colo., Doug Baker, his wife Tory and 11-month-old son, Hudson of Centennial, Colo., Kenneth Baker, of Chester, Derek Baker, of Boston, Mass., Sarah Baker of Chester; Clayton Hume of Los Angeles, Calif., and Miles Hume of Portland, Ore. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and their children.

There will be no service or visiting hours. A graveside service will be held at the convenience of the family at East Hill Cemetery in Andover. A website for memories and condolences is being created at http://www.never-gone.com/memorials/humefamily