Today we mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague, Don Wulff. We have created this website to permit Don's community, both near and far, to share their memories and celebrate the life and accomplishments of this wonderful man.

The UW community will gather to celebrate Don’s life on March 10 at 2:00 p.m. in Kane Hall, Room 110. To help us plan for refreshments, please let us know if you are able to attend by sending your rsvp to Brenda Kelly at CIDR, bjkelly@u.washington.edu, with rsvp in the subject line.

The UW Foundation has established a fund in Don’s name that will be used to support UW students, faculty, and staff in research, travel, and other activities that advance the scholarship of teaching and learning. If you would like to contribute to this fund, please visit the Donald H. Wulff Fund for Advancing Teaching and Learning.

Finally, we know that Don touched many lives, and we would like to celebrate Don’s life by collecting memories from his friends and colleagues around the world. If you have stories, reflections, or photos that you would like to share with Don’s family and with one another, please send them to us at RememberingDon@cidr.washington.edu. We will pass your messages along to his loved ones, and we will post excerpts here on this web page.

Here are excerpts from responses we have received:

Don has always been and will continue to be an exemplar of what it means to be a mentor and a friend. I can think of no individual who has been more thoughtful and more committed, throughout his career, to the very values that define a great university: respect for diverse learning styles and points of view, civility and collegiality, the integration of research and education, with a focus always, and foremost, on our learners. In this time of loss, it is important to remember that Don's work and values will endure in the lives of all of those whom he has touched.

- Suzanne Ortega, Dean and Vice Provost, The Graduate School

I'm deeply saddened by Don's passing - he left us all too early. I so fondly remember spending time with him at POD and talking with him about his family and trip to see his daughter. He has always held a special place in my heart and professional life and he has been a wonderful mentor to me throughout my professional career.

His smile, wink in the eye, and warm embrace will always be with me as will be his saying, "For our purposes . . ."

- Gabriele Bauer, University of Delaware

He was truly one of the most enjoyable of individuals with whom I have had the pleasure to be associated with in my nearly 30 years on campus. I hold him in the highest regard and will always remember the style and grace he brought to the University of Washington and to the Graduate School.

- Gary Farris, Director of Finance and Administration, The Graduate School

Don was an inspiration, a teacher, and vibrant force within the POD community. I'm having a hard time imagining POD without him because he very much represented the spirit of POD for me. It's a real loss for all of us. We will indeed miss him profoundly.

- Kathryn M. Plank, The Ohio State University

Don’s smile radiated his space and we will miss his generous nature and kindness.

- Dean and Tomilynn McManus, University of Washington

My favorite memory of Don was at the POD Conference in Kerrville, Texas in 1987. My brother's band was playing for the annual POD (Plan on Dancing) event and someone suggested that Don sing for us. He sang a song about a Montana cowboy and yodelled superbly! What made this even more exciting was the sign language interpreter, Marion, "yodelled" in sign language! It was wonderful!

I know I will miss Don's humor, his distinctive joyful laughter, his willingness to share his knowledge with others, and a dear friend. He will be missed.

- Karron Lewis, University of Texas

When I heard that my dear colleague Don had died, my first thought was feeling as if life had been made less sweet by the passing of one of the gentlest souls that I have ever met. I feel that way more each day. My most recent memories of Don were from last Spring when our department named a service award after Don and he also received the Thorud award. When Don had to speak to each of these, he did so with authentic surprise, wondering why he should get such honors. No one else in the room would ever have asked that question. Don deserved both, and so much more.

- Valerie Manusov, Department of Communication, University of Washington

Don was the most self effacing man I've ever known. It seems like every memory of Don Wulff is a memory about others because he was always working to help someone else. He helped shy people feel included and awkward people feel graceful. He always made me feel important, smart, and insightful. More than anything else, though, I am remembering his laugh. I am remembering and missing that big, infectious laugh and his ability to spin a story about something mundane like a softball game into a speech event that engaged everyone in earshot into gut splitting, tear producing laughter.

- Ann Darling, University of Utah

Don was delightfully lively, funny, and talented. How he could sing and dance! I can't believe that so much life can just disappear.

- Linda Nilson, Clemson University

Don was one of my students at the University of Montana and an absolute gem of a person. He and I maintained sporadic contact over the years, and I had the opportunity to watch him excel at everything he did.

His presence in the world enriched all of us who knew him. And, his passing is all too soon.

- Bill Wilmot, Professor Emeritus, University of Montana

What a great guy... and what an irreplaceable resource for all UW students, staff, and faculty. I feel as if UW's center of gravity just shifted.

- Stanley Chernicoff, University of Washington

No one told a story like Don, and no one appreciated a good story more than Don. His wondrous smile and infectious laughter will live on in many of us.

- Susan Ambrose, Carnegie Mellon University

Oh, there are so many stories. One story that Don told often concerned getting to a POD conference without his luggage. As fastidious as Don was, it was a real crisis for him to wake up with no luggage, having only a rumpled shirt and needing a shave. He managed to scrape his face with something sharp (I forget what, but it sounded brutal) and then called for an iron. Feigning great consternation, he made the charge that Christine Stanley and I had the only iron in the hotel and wouldn’t give it up, so he had to button his jacket and hide the shirt. Very unfair. Anyone who knows me knows I never iron. Now Chris is another story…but she would have shared. Don had a way of taking a simple incident and turning it into a major laugh.

- Nancy Chism, IUPUI

I, like hundreds of faculty at the UW, owe Don an incredible debt of gratitude for his contributions to my development as an effective teacher. I first encountered Don nearly twenty years ago as the typical earnest but very green teaching assistant. Don approached his work with me (as he did with all others) with rigor, insight and complete dedication to my success as teacher. Years later, when I returned to the UW in a faculty role, Don helped me enormously in the task of new course development... We all lost something with Don's passing.

- Gunnar Almgren, School of Social Work, University of Washington

There is one thing that touches my heart most when I think of Don – his ability to tell a story and make me laugh. I’ll never forget Don’s story of trying to return curtains to Kmart and how his daughter was made to go in and do the deed because her parents were too mortified to return them yet again. The vividness of the telling, the absolutely perfect timing and the detail all combined to create a story that had several of us in tears. Don could take something as simple as returning curtains into a hilarious, joy-filled moment because he knew how to use words to touch people and leave an impression that stayed with them. I miss his stories but I can hang on to the memories of their telling and keep the laughter with me.

- Lisa Skow, Seattle, WA

I just talked to Don last week and he had me laughing about our days at CIDR together ... Don could find humor in any situation and I could always count on him to shine a light on my day. We shared an office together while we were teaching assistants in graduate school and later we became colleagues at CIDR. I’ve known Don since the early 1980s and I cannot imagine what life will be like without his raucous laugh and vivid storytelling. Will we ever see his kind again?

- Debra-L Sequeira, Seattle Pacific University

I remember vividly when I attended the first few days of the workshop for international TAs at UW at the end of the summer of 1991. During the afternoon of the second day, Don gave a lecture on engaging students in the learning process. It was the best presentation I had ever heard given by anyone. I didn’t know that it was possible to teach so well. The lecture was insightful, funny, engaging, thought-provoking. ... From that point on, I had one goal when it came to teaching: I wanted to teach like Don Wulff. Needless to say, I never reached that goal, but to this day whenever I teach a successful class I have the feeling that Don is standing next to me and teaching right with me.

- Nils Rauhut, Myrtle Beach, SC

I met Don when I was going to Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana. I was studying with a small group of students who met in our teacher’s office, which was basically in the same space as Don’s office ... Twenty-five years later, I was hired for a faculty position at UW. I must have been attending one of my first CIDR events when Don came up to me and asked “Are you Allyson Carlyle?” and did I attend Hellgate High School. It was truly amazing to me that even though I was never his student, he not only recognized me but remembered my name. To me, this demonstrates perfectly the qualities I will remember him for – his keen observation, his attentiveness to individual students (even those not his own), his interest in connecting with people, and his amazing memory.

- Allyson Carlyle, University of Washington

Don was a teacher’s teacher. He always had some unique way of thinking about pedagogy. I use many of his phrases from class in my teaching. He really cared about his students and always wanted to know how you were doing outside of class. His insight to teaching and leadership will be sorely missed.

- Jevin West, Huckabay Fellow (2006), Graduate Student, UW Biology

I was Dr. Don Wulff's advisee when I did my MA in Speech Communication at UW. Please let me share my memory with my dearest advisor here. I went to study Instructional Communication at UW ... Dr. Wulff kindly accepted to teach me this subject one-on-one as an independent study. I can tell from every single minute he spent with me on discussing about instructional communication that he was a very dedicated and and passionate teacher. Dr. Wulff once told me how much he regret not having a chance to tell the teacher who had had a great impact in his life before that teacher passed away. At least for me, I had a chance to tell Dr. Wulff he was my role model as a teacher and academician and I hoped he knew that. Dr. Wulff, I was very fortunate to have had you as my advisor.

- Suwichit (Sean) Chaidaroon, Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney

Don Wulff was one of the sweetest and most thoughtful people I have ever met. Last year when I had a personal success with our national association, Don was one who followed my progress, sent encouragement, and was one of the first to send along congratulations. I was so touched. He was also one of the funniest people I have ever met. His wit and infectious laugh (mentioned by many) made him one of the people I always looked forward to seeing. He was bright and passionate about what he was doing. His work on graduate education has made a difference and will not be forgotten. I will miss him.

- Dawn O. Braithwaite, Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

To all who mourn the loss of Don Wulff: I share in your feelings of profound loss and sadness, but take pleasure in having known a man so generous, kind, loving, and gentle. For the remainder of my days, any good that I do, will be in part a tribute to the life of Donald H. Wulff. There will never be another like him.

- Lois Reddick, Cultivating Our Sisterhood International Association

Always with a warm welcoming smile and kind word, Don Wulff took interest in scores of POD rookies. On behalf of Don's colleagues at the Center for Teaching and Learning at IUPUI, we would like Don's family and friends to know how fortunate we feel to have been Don's students ... not only at the POD annual conference but at several National Institutes for New Faculty Developers (NINFD). We were fortunate to have Don on the faculty for both the of NINFD conferences held at IUPUI. We will remember Don's laugh, smile, twinkle in the eye and more than anything his commitment to teaching and learning. Finally, we will take the lessons he taught us and apply those in our daily work with faculty and in our own meetings, presentations, writing, and conversations at POD and beyond.

- From Don's friends at the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning: Megan Palmer, Terri Tarr, Jennifer Beasley, Randy Newbrough, Tom Janke, Nancy Chism, Nelson Soto, Jesse Nelson, Natasha Flowers, Rhett McDaniel, Peg Weissinger, Elizabeth Rubens, and many others.

Sad news - Yes, Don was a special person who had a huge influence on developing the concept of a Fish 101 teaching team ... Don's presence on campus will be sorely missed. He was a gentleman, a mentor, a scholar, and a crack up to boot.

- Bob Francis, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington

I had the opportunity to meet with Don very recently to discuss his work and how we could transfer his teachings to the many countries where we work as part of the I-TECH (International Training and Education Center on HIV) training team. During our meeting we spent hours talking about his work and about strategies for using his work across cultures. I left his office that day feeling blessed that I had met him as he was an inspiration to me and the work I was doing. Just today one of my colleagues presented his work in a pre service meeting ... We will miss Don greatly, however, we will continue to use his teachings to guide our efforts in developing the skills of teachers and trainers working in the field on HIV/IDS.

- Virginia Gonzales, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington

He was always patient and kind in answering people's questions. Thank you for your leadership and your great vision, Dr. Wulff. You will be missed.

- Yih-Sheue Lin, Center for Teaching Excellence, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan

I am a graduate student in Don's class for the Huckabay Fellows. Even though I only knew him a few months, I could tell he was a remarkable person. On the first day of class he told a story about when he was working on a model of teaching and learning for his dissertation. He needed a word to describe this model and so as a very practical person started flipping through the dictionary. He was very happy to find the word, alignment, in the first letter of the alphabet. I will remember him fondly for his mentorship and advice on effective teaching and learning for many years.

- Patricia Townsend, Huckabay Fellow (2008), Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Biology

I first met Don in 1990 when I was a fresh faced, first time teaching assistant in the Department of Speech Communication. I was terrified, and I remember Don's kindness and patience as he laid out some very specific suggestions for how I might succeed. I can still hear him saying, "Never mention that you're running out of time . . . Just say [and he would always be dramatic when saying this!], 'For our purposes today . . . .'" This stuff was gold to a new person like me!

The greatest gift he gave me then, and that he continued to give me in the last year as he helped me revamp one of my courses, was meeting me where I was without ever making me feel that I should be someplace else. When I was brand new, he gave me advice appropriate to a brand new person. And, last year, he gave me advice appropriate to a veteran. Each time, his advice was spot on.

On a personal level, I treasured Don's laugh -- I still do, actually, as I can hear it in my mind. No matter what was going on, we could sit down for a couple of minutes and, before long, we'd be in stitches about something. Over the years, Don became my friend, and I am honored to have known him. I miss him, but I know that every time I stand in front of a classroom, I will hear his voice guiding me.

- Lisa M. Coutu, Department of Communication, University of Washington

To know him as a colleague was a true pleasure. He was a first-class act and gave so much more than was ever asked of him. Don was someone you could always count on and, as a former co-worker, I can tell you that his kind and generous spirit and collegiality will be sorely missed.

- Cheryll Sorensen, University of Washington

Don Wulff was both colleague and friend. In 1989 when I began in faculty development and looked to CIDR, one of the leading programs in the country, Don reached out a ready hand to advise, share, and consult, and then at POD to dance and play. He improved our field with incisive and enlightened work. In addition, he enriched my life with his spirit and kindness.

- Jacqueline Mintz

During the years I worked at CIDR, Don’s kind, thoughtful, generous spirit and his ways of mentoring and encouraging always brought out the best in everyone. I remember sorting and arranging the huge buckets of beautiful flowers from his garden that he brought each fall to the ITA reception at the close of the annual workshop. His infectious laughter and storytelling will linger in the air of our memories. He practiced the lost art of friendship and was a friend to many as well as a fine scholar and colleague. The world is poorer for the loss of this good man, an authentic human being gone too soon.

- Madelle Quiring, University of Washington

I treasure my interactions with Don during POD gatherings and many other occasions. His humble beginnings grounded him in the important things in life -- good friends, good conversations, and good work. Don was exemplary at nurturing all three. I will miss his presence in the faculty development community, and will especially miss his ever-present smile, his wonderful sense of humor, his deep and abiding commitment to his students (all of us) and his extraordinary scholarly work.

- Karl A. Smith, Department of Engineering Education (Purdue University) and Civil Engineering (University of Minnesota)

I was so shocked and saddened to receive this news while traveling in India. My first reaction was great sorrow, but I [am also] thinking about what a great person he was and how much of a wonderful impact he made on such a great number of people. After all, even the reason I was in India was to present a paper on the course I taught through the Huckabay program, something that never would have happened without Don!

- Linda S. Gaulke, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington

For me, Don was one of those people who are able to make everyone they meet feel special. His gentle, generous, inclusive sprirt put people around him at ease and his passion for teaching was infectious. He is sorely missed.

- Joan Abe, Director of Graduate Admissions & Student Services, University of Washington

Don represented what is great about POD. He was a competent, generous, and caring person with a sense of humor. I got to meet him only twice at POD in 2005 and 2007, but he warmly welcomed me and made me feel at home. In fact, Don sent me a message right after the 2005 conference, saying that he was glad to have me at POD. POD is a great organization with warm-hearted people, and I hope that the wonderful spirit of POD will be carried on forever with great memories of Don.

- Naoshi Kira, Japan Professional School of Education (Tokyo, Japan)

My memories of Don Wulff are from high school at Hellgate High in Missoula. I had him for 2 English courses I think, but the most memorable was honors English when we read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. He taught with such humor. I remember that he was completely disgusted with our first writing attempts and made us go back to grammar in some little red books. I must have absorbed enough because I now critique my own students' writing in college level accounting. When I was a senior, my locker was right outside his classroom door and in the afternoon, there he'd be, teaching a freshman level English class, and we'd stand in the hall and make faces at him. He'd always come out and laugh with us. I'm sure everyone needed a break from Freshman English, him included. He is one of two or three of my most memorable teachers from high school. I'm sure he will be missed.

- Kristen Sohlberg, Montana

Don Wulff was both my English teacher and my drama coach in Roundup, Montana. He was also my model when I began my own teaching career. Don created energy in everything he did, and always handled things with a sense of humor. I can remember breaking character during a play, and having him say that if I did that again, “he would snatch me bald.” He of course was not a violent man, but I got his message. Some of my fondest memories of high school include Don, and the deep belly laughs we had. He was unique because he was such a blend between friend and teacher. He had high expectations, and he wasn’t afraid to rip into you if you deserved it, but he laughed with us and celebrated with us. After high school, I went to the U of M and did some judging for Don when he was at Hellgate High School. After that I unfortunately lost contact until about five years ago when I received an e-mail from him. I was thrilled to make that contact after all those years. Reading all of the biographical material made me very proud that I had known him, and I feel blessed to have been in his life.

- Marka Vranish Marquesen, Class of 1969

When I think of Don, I often think of the way he inspired trust among those of us who were fortunate enough to be his colleagues.

The academic world, like other similar human institutions, often fails to bring out the most positive characteristics of its inhabitants. All of us can certainly recall times when behavior involving intellectual arrogance, failure to keep promises, discrediting others, dishonesty, and the like have gotten in the way of our own best behavior toward each other as colleagues.

In this environment, Don Wulff was an exemplar of all that was honest, ethical, trustworthy, noble and generous behavior toward his colleagues. He went out of his way to send a hand-written thank-you note for the smallest effort. He never let on that you had a hare-brained idea, but patiently helped you to think it through until the idea had sorted itself into something usable. He never shared argumentativeness, anger, grumpy moods, or things that had been told to him in confidence. He always shared freely his knowledge, experience, good will and laughter.

- Elizabeth Feetham, Associate Dean, UW Graduate School

I was a student of Don’s at Hellgate High School in the late 70’s. Don was one of the influential people in my life and a person I’ll always treasure. I learned from Don that there is always something funny in every situation and it is easier to laugh about it than to cry about it. And there is nothing better than a good story. I believe some of my storytelling skills came from Don and he certainly helped me realize that a story is the best way for me to learn and convey a concept.

- Sandy Shull – former high school student – now living in Helena, MT

I first became acquainted with Don when we began our Ph.D. program at UW together. We hit it off right away, as we both loved to laugh, and Don's laugh certainly was contagious. I will remember him as one of the funniest people I have ever known. We laughed our way through statistics (multivariate analysis in particular) as well as on the softball field (I played shortstop to his second base). Don was kind to a fault, one of the best teachers I've ever had the opportunity to observe, a wonderful scholar, and a delightful friend. I miss him terribly.

- Betsy Wackernagel Bach, The University of Montana-Missoula

Here I am at 50 years old, and I still think of him as Mr. Wulff. Mr. Wulff was the drama coach at Hellgate High School for my junior and senior year. He directed me in Hansel & Gretel and allowed me to be his assistant for Oklahoma! I learned so much from him.

What a lovely man. And what a hoot! His yodeling completely did us in, I remember falling down laughing at it. I feel very fortunate to have had him as a teacher, I believe he has had more positive influence on me than I ever realized until now.

- Deborah Frandsen, Missoula, MT

For the UW community of faculty members and teaching assistants, Don was the supreme teacher of teachers. He was a kind and skilled “teacher therapist” for a lot of us – focused, wise, and an incredible amount of fun. He will be missed.

- Faye Dong, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Don Wulff was a very special person, scholar, and colleague. I treasure many memories of Don including being one of his first faculty members when he came to the University of Washington to begin his graduate work. As a visiting assistant professor from Michigan State University at UW during the summer(s), I was privileged in the late 1970's to teach Jody Nyquist's instructional communication/communication education courses and Don enrolled in one of them. He was a joy to have in class, as you might imagine, for he was inquisitive, brought life to the class and drew upon his own rich experiences as an educator to extend the classroom discourse. I will always think of Don as the quintessential learner, for he embraced new opportunities to learn and enjoyed sharing what he learned with others through his work at CIDR, his writings, conference presentations and one-on-one with colleagues. He could always be counted on to make a major contribution and he leaves a legacy that has and will continue to advance what it means to be a scholarly teacher, a student of one's own teaching, and a professional committed to developing one's practice.

Don has left us far too early, but his impact will remain. His ready laugh, his engaging manner, his sincerity, and his kindness are personal qualities that made him a dear friend. His leadership in professional organizations and many tributes for outstanding teaching and scholarship contributions are evidence of his high regard by colleagues. I was enriched by knowing Don and join with the many others who mourn his loss but celebrate his life.

- Cassandra Book, Michigan State University

Don taught a graduate seminar in my very first semester of graduate school seven years ago at the University of Washington. He kept in touch after that, even after I moved far away - Don never forgot his students. I will always remember his enthusiasm and infectious energy as an educator. As a friend, he was never lacking a smile or a sense of humor. His passing is a great loss not only to UW, but to all of his friends and colleagues in our communication family. I will miss him.

- Marita Gronnvoll, University of Georgia

I first met Don Wulff when he came to the University to pursue graduate work in our Department of Speech Communication. Don was unique. Serious in his work efforts, he was hard working, well organized, and energetic. At the same time he was personable, supportive of others, generous, and positive. Don took his work seriously, but not himself. He could always laugh at himself, and the world at large. His laugh was infectious.

My favorite memories of Don included the time his band played dancing music for my 55th birthday party at the Mountaineer’s Club in downtownSeattle. His singing, guitar playing, stories and laughter were unforgetable. And at a later time, during the country music dancing period, Don taught a group of us in our basement the steps of the Wild Turkey line dance.

Don was a student, friend, and colleague, who will never be forgotten.

- Tom Scheidel

As I look back on my time at UW, I find that many of my most vivid and cherished memories involve Don Wulff.

Do you know anyone else who laughs like Don? With complete abandon? Don, the brilliant scholar and mostly very private person, opened his heart to all of us when he laughed. I’m quite sure that you can hear him now, as I can. He laughed especially openly when he told stories about Sean and Darcy. I remember clearly how he was fascinated by, and unabashedly in love with his children. I didn’t know it at the time, but as I listened to Don talk about his kids, I made some decisions about the kind of parent I wanted to become. Now that there are two little guys who call me Mamma, I realize how much Don revealed about himself in and through those stories. So much for his privacy!

I really miss Don...that li’l bird in the rushes...that ol’ skunk in the weeds. That said, it still feels really good to think about him.

- Julie Chiapelone Rey (known to Don as Julie-En), Seattle WA

I remember the year Don's lovely daughter, Darci, joined him at a POD conference. Don and Darci were a matched set--they had us howling with laughter, karaoke singing, and dancing all night long. Every Christmas after that Darci would send me a picture of her son, Denten, and his beloved "Grandpa" Don. I wish we didn't have to lose the people we love. Our only consolation is that if anyone has "gone to glory" it is Don Wulff. We can be grateful to him for helping us to glimpse that glory through his unfailing kindness, courage and wild-west spirit. With gratitude, Mary Deane

- Mary Deane Sorcinelli, University of Massachusetts Amherst

On behalf of everyone in the Center for Teaching and Office of Faculty Development at UMass Amherst, we want Don's CIDR colleagues, friends and family to know how very grateful we feel to have been a part of Don's life. In our Center, every bookshelf holds one of his must-read books, every file holds creative teaching and learning materials that he designed, and on our "hall of fame" hangs a photo of an ever-smiling Don amidst his POD colleagues and friends. His rich life will live on through his many and important contributions to the field of faculty development. But it will be his rousing laughter, quiet courage, and generous heart that will stand as the greatest memorial to his spirit.

- With deepest sympathy, Mary Deane Sorcinelli and Mathew Ouellett, University of Massachusetts Amherst

I had the privilege of having Mr. Wulff as a Speech teacher his last year in Roundup, MT. I participated in drama club and speech class mostly because of Mr. Wulff. He made learning so much fun with his infectious laugh and animated personality. I was extremely disappointed when he left Roundup before my class of “72” could have him for senior English, but we all knew he was destined to move on to bigger and better things. Mr. Wulff will always be remembered fondly as a special person and a favorite teacher. My sympathy to his family and friends, and may your many happy memories help to comfort you at this difficult time.

- Connie (Janich) Mattfield, Roundup, MT

As I member of one of Mr. Wulff's first high school classes, I would like to send my condolences on his passing. I graduated from Roundup High School in 1967 and remember him as a caring, dedicated teacher. Earlier this year as I was doing a random internet search on "Roundup, Montana" I found an article about him where he was quoted as saying how strange it was for him to teach in Roundup because he wasn't that much older than the students. I contacted a classmate and we decided that we needed to contact him to tell him that even though he wasn't that much older than us, he had a huge impact on our lives but as these things go, we waited too long and how he will never know what he meant to that class in 1967. I know that it's too late but I need to say it anyway, Thank you Mr. Wulff.

- Keith Branum

Some members of [the ITA Discussion] list may have been fortunate enough to have interacted with Don at meetings of POD Network or at other venues. If so, you know Don to have been a wise, witty, and warm human. It wouldn't take but a moment to become his friend. Don made foundational contributions to the field of ITA development, and more generally to enhancing the visibility and effectiveness of faculty development and the scholarship of teaching and learning nation-wide. I can hardly imagine a more fitting memorial than to circulate his work and to make the kinds of connections that John makes in his posting.

- Don Rubin, University of Georgia

Although I have been at the UW for nearly twenty years, I only met Don when I joined the Grad School as Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the fall of 2005. During the 2-½ years that I served in that position, I found Don to be a truly exceptional colleague. Not only was he always supportive of our office and our extremely busy schedule of academic program reviews, he graciously agreed to help me individually to revise and improve my course, Genetic Epidemiology, that I had been teaching for over a dozen years in the School of Public Health.

To start that process, we met for lunch at the UW Club and I shared my syllabus with him. In retrospect, I am sure he thought it was quite awful. Of course, he did not say this, but made many specific suggestions that I tried to implement. Once I made those revisions, he sent another, detailed review with suggestions and comments. Then we met again at the UW Club for lunch. This process was repeated several times, and Don never once questioned the amount of time or effort he spent with me to help. Sure enough, my course ratings improved that year, and I have Don to thank for that.

At the time, I thought my experience was Don was unique. Having attended his memorial, I now know that this was the way he treated everyone, regardless of the demands on his time. I will always remember his broad smile and welcoming manner, and I feel privileged to have known him.

- Melissa A. Austin, Professor of Epidemiology and Director, Institute for Public Health Genetics, University of Washington

In a letter from Sean Chaidaroon, Mr. Chaidaroom mentions Mr. Wulff was so sorry he never had a chance to share his gratitude with a teacher that was his mentor. I am in the exact spot as Mr. Wulff. I ask that this be my chance to exalt this brilliant man. No one deserved more to hear the impact he had on a student's life.

Dear Mr. Wulff,

I hope you remember me as I so vividly remember you. I am Gayla Bailey Collins, a student of yours in Roundup High School, my freshman through junior years. I will keep this letter brief, but heartfelt. Please don't be embarrassed as I know you shun great praise, but you should know the impact you had on my life.

I don't know if you knew how troubled a teen-ager I was, how horrible my home life was, how I had no self-worth or confidence.(you probably did but thanks for not mentioning it). When you first cast me in "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O'Henry as a freshman, it was a shot of adrenaline to my defunct confidence. Me? In a production of Don Wulff's? What a transforming experience it was for me. Your gentle style of critiquing, your radiant laughter, your witty tales of your own near disasters on stage, softly encouraged us to draw from the hidden areas within us exacting our best performance. I learned to reach beyond my inner disbelief and strive for higher standards. I kept trying; I shunned the viral voice of self contempt; I found a sliver of believe in my worth. What a magnanimous gift you bequeathed. What intense gratitude I have.

Your wit, Mr. Wulff. Your wit! I don't know if I have ever laughed harder than in those days. Maybe in the recalling of the incidents that provoked the loud guffaws. You gave me some of the most hilarious moments to treasure. Thank you for that.

You are the best teacher I ever had. Bar none. No one better. And though you will just think I am being dramatic here you saved my life without even realizing it. I wanted to die during my teen years and suicide was often on my mind. But by taking me under your protective wing that held many other struggling teens, you gave me safe harbor. You encouraged me to peek out and glimpse into a possible future which didn't include shards of glass, blood, and death. Gratitude is too simple a word, I can only say thank you with a sincere heart.

I love you, Mr. Wulff as a man who gave his gifts unselfishly to others, allowing them to join your celebrations of promise. I will always remember you. I hope this letter confirms that you deserve every accolade that comes your way.

Oh, one last thing.....I still E-N-U-N-C-I-A-T-E my words. Once you enunciate you can never go back. *giggling*

With profound and heartfelt gratitude,

- Gayla Bailey Collins

Don Wulff was one of the first people I met as I entered the field of faculty development fifteen years ago, and I quickly realized he was one of the finest. I have valued our friendship and colleagueship for many reasons. Don knew everything there was to know about faculty development and was generous about sharing his views and offering good advice. He thought deeply about every issue and got to the heart of each challenge, understanding what was really important and what was not. Best of all, Don had a superb sense of humor, which helped put our challenges into perspective. I found Don to be unusually kind, and unusually selfless and dedicated. He truly understood the power of faculty development to change the essence of the student and faculty experience on a campus, and he consistently conveyed the importance of our profession through his own words and deeds. He enhanced the professionalism of our profession and helped to imbue it with the right values. What an amazing and wonderful man! I will miss him greatly.

- Connie Cook, Executive Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), University of Michigan

Here is how Don changed my life. I have a deep and long standing gratitude to Don for taking me on as a young graduate student TA at CIDR in 1995. I was rough, unprofessional and awkward. Over 4 years under the tutelage of Don I managed to grow and I like to think perhaps I left with a more professional and complex way of being in the world. However, what I learned over those 4 years has become much more cogent the further away from those years I get. It has been surprising to me the number of times I have made reference to Don in my work life since I left CIDR. The things I saw Don do (simple things like how he managed meetings, big things like how he thought about teaching and learning, complex things like his sense of fairness, how he thought and spoke, and difficult things like how he gave me feedback and how he voiced his expectations) again and again over 4 years became emblematic for me. Don's ways became grooves, patterns, in my professional existence that have enabled me to learn and move in directions that wouldn't have been possible without him. From Don I learned hard lessons and I learned deeply important lessons. It's true, we laughed a lot along the way, but mostly when I think back of those times I think of values he instilled in my work and how lucky I was to learn from him. I don't think he really ever understood how or why, perhaps because I have only been figuring it out as I muddle along, but Don Wulff changed my life at a deep and essential level.

So, Don, thank you for that TA-ship back in 1995. You gave me an opportunity to become someone I hadn't envisioned.

I will miss you.

- Laurie Stephan, UW Educational Outreach

"I have told my story ... not because I have all the answers -- or even all the questions -- but because I want to show how my story itself has been transformed in important ways [by this work] .... I now encourage each of you to turn to your own story -- to think about it ... tell it, adapt it, tell it again, and retell it until you, too, begin to feel as though you are gaining some insight into 'the maddening mystery' of it all."

- Donald H. Wulff, "Tales of Transformation: Applying a Teaching Effectiveness Perspective to Stories About Teaching." Communication Education, Volume 42, October 1993.