David Oliver Relin (December 12, 1962 – November 15, 2012) was an American journalist and the co-author of the ''New York Times'' best-selling book, ''

Three Cups of Tea ''Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time'' (original hardcover title: ''Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations ... One School at a Time'') is a memoir book by Greg Morte ...

'', published in 2006. Relin co-wrote the book with

Greg Mortenson Greg Mortenson is an American professional speaker, writer, veteran, and former mountaineer. He is a co-founder and former executive director of the non-profit Central Asia Institute and the founder of the educational charity Pennies for Peace. ...

.Sieff, Kevin
''Mortenson returns to Afghanistan, trying to move past his 'Three Cups of Tea' disgrace''
Washington Post, 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014. The book gives Mortenson's account of his transition from registered nurse and mountain-climber to humanitarian committed to reducing poverty and promoting education for girls in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. In addition to ''Three Cups of Tea'', Relin was a contributing editor for ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'' and ''

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

'' magazines. He won more than 40 national awards for his work as a writer and editor, including the

Kiriyama Prize The Kiriyama Prize was an international literary award awarded to books about the Pacific Rim and South Asia. Its goal was to encourage greater understanding among the peoples and nations of the region. Established in 1996, the prize was last awa ...

.BookBrowse.com biography for David Relin
Retrieved 3 December 2012.

Personal and professional life

Relin was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

and graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

. After being awarded a Michener Fellowship to support a 1992 bicycle trip through

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, he spent two years in

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

writing about the country opening itself up to the world economically and educationally. Relin traveled to and reported from numerous countries in East Asia.About Author David Oliver Relin, Lake Oswego Library e-newsletter article on David Relin.
Retrieved 3 December 2012. A significant portion of Relin's writing focused on social issues and on children. Along with being a contributing editor for ''Parade'' and ''Skiing'' magazines, Relin was a senior news editor for ''React'', another newsmagazine publication of ''Parade''. He also wrote investigative feature articles on school shootings, ecstasy abuse, and teenagers in prison for ''

Teen People ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

''. His articles for ''Teen People'' enabled that publication to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. Before his death, Relin had completed work on a new book, about two doctors working to cure

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...

-related blindness in the developing world. ''Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives'' was published posthumously.Okie, Susan
''Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives by David Oliver Relin''
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', 14 June 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

Death

According to his family, Relin had been diagnosed with depression.Kellogg, Carolyn, Three Cups of Tea' co-author David Oliver Relin dead of suicide''
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012. His obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that he suffered emotionally and financially when basic facts in ''Three Cups of Tea'' were called into question. On November 15, 2012, at age 49, he died by suicide by stepping in front of a freight train outside

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

.Daly, Michael
"The Death of Co-Author of 'Three Cups of Tea' is Ruled Suicide"
''Daily Beast'', 6 December 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Relin, David Oliver 1962 births 2012 suicides Writers from Portland, Oregon American non-fiction writers Vassar College alumni Suicides in Oregon Writers from Rochester, New York Suicides by train 2012 deaths