04/23/2026
Daniel R. Vining, Jr. Ph.D.
Age: 82 of Haddonfield
Daniel Rutledge Vining, Jr., age 82, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, died at home on April 19, 2026 in the care of his loving wife Motoko.
Dan was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas on January 12, 1944 to Daniel Rutledge Vining, Sr. and Margaret McClanahan Vining and grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia. He followed his brother Joe to Woodberry Forrest School, which memorialized his track accomplishments with the Daniel R. Vining, Jr. Track Award.
Dan also ran track at Yale University, graduating in 1966. While there, he took a leave of absence and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. From 1966 to 1968, Dan volunteered as a teacher with International Voluntary Services, which allowed civilians to work in war zones, unlike the Peace Corps. While teaching English at a high school in Vietnam, he mastered the Vietnamese language. This rare accomplishment aroused suspicion among some Americans that Dan was a CIA agent. During his time in Vietnam, he became disillusioned with the U.S. military after his American friend, a civilian, was killed, and Dan himself was almost shot, by a drunken U.S. soldier.
After living in Vietnam, he decided to see another Asian country to satisfy his innate curiosity. Dan taught conversational English in Japan and met his wife Motoko. He returned to the U.S. to start his family and complete graduate studies at Princeton and Carnegie Mellon.
Dan was an Associate Professor of Regional Science at the University of Pennsylvania from 1974 to 2006. Though thrown off course by a devastating stroke in his early 40s, he kept researching, writing and working with students until he retired.
He was an avid reader, NPR listener, and environmentalist – he delayed turning on the heat until November 1 regardless of the weather, and stopped eating meat and fish in his 70s. Dan worked with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club to put a conservation easement on over 600 acres of Virginia land. He was frequently moved to write letters to the University newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, about topics such as dripping faucets around campus. At home, he enjoyed pancakes, chocolate, the company of the family cats, and his wife’s garden.
Dan is survived by his wife Motoko (née Kashimada) Vining; children Margaret A. Vining (Arthur H. Bradford), Ella R. Vining (Peter C. Rock) and Daniel K. Vining (Susannah H.); grandchildren Elsie A. Bradford, Theodotia A. Bradford, Ida A. Rock, Miki F. Rock, Daniel H. Vining, Leigh R. Vining, Hanako M. Vining, and Akira J. Vining, and brother George Joseph Vining, III (Alice W.)