Who is David Thorson from the nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed?

In the chapter "Monticello Plantation," David Thorson is Smith's tour guide at Monticello. Almost as soon as Smith joins David's tour "on Jefferson's relationship to slavery," he is struck by the way that David "capture[s] the essence of chattel slavery in a way that few of [his] own teachers ever had" (11). Smith appreciates David's bald and uninhibited manner of describing the history of slavery, particularly as it pertains to Monticello's and Jefferson's history. Smith later learns that "prior to becoming a tour guide at Monticello, David served for more than thirty years in the US Navy" (10). He tells Smith that he believes in the United States, its founding ideals, and its inspiring inception.