Dan Coldeway 1949-2003

On March 26, Dan Coldeway, recently of Dakota State University, in Madison, South Dakota, died. Dan joined the faculty of Dakota State as a professor in 2001 after serving for 23 years on the faculty of Athabasca University in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada. Dan received his B.S. degree in psychology from the University of Utah in 1971, his M.A. in experimental psychology from Western Michigan University in 1972, and his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois in 1974.It is not the custom of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education to comment on the passing of those involved in the field. However, the death of Dan Coldeway prompts a change in that policy. His long commitment, leadership, insights, and efforts for the field of distance education have made an indelible mark on the practice, and on the people who consider themselves distance educators.I have known Dan for over a decade. His spoken and written insights about distance teaching and learning have been often insightful, and sometimes profound. And I love to quote him in my own work.One story I often tell about Dan involves what is now referred to as the concept of Coldeway's Quadrants. As I tell it, this story is part fact and part fiction. The facts are that Dan had the ideas and presented them in such a way to clarify them for easy understanding. The fiction is in the telling of the story.The fictionalized version of the story goes like this:Well, if the truth be known, the lobby lounge, cocktail napkin, and impromptu seminar were fabrications. He had talked about the quadrants during his convention keynote address. The lounge “session' was actually a free-flowing discussion of many topics.Later, I told Dan about my use of this “story” in articles and speeches when I was attempting to place distance education in an easily understood context. He seemed to be pleased. I even got the feeling that he wished it had actually happened like the story.At any rate, the concept of the quadrants, now referred to by many in the field as Coldeway's Quadrants, is one of many ideas that Dan Coldeway has given to the field. It will be remembered. It is one of many contributions to distance education by this man, this scholar, this professional. And, I wish I had the cocktail napkin.