Dan Edward Caldwell

Dan Edward Caldwell, a 47-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully on January 8 after a four-year battle with cancer.

The day before his death, Dan and his family evacuated from the fires to his family’s cherished San Clemente home near the beach, but he was spared the knowledge of the fire’s devastating aftermath and the loss of their beloved Radcliffe Avenue house. He was 76 years old.

Born on May 12, 1948, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Dan spent his first nine years in Oklahoma and San Diego when his father was in the Navy. In 1957, his family moved to San Marino, California. He proudly became an Eagle Scout in 1962 at age 14.

Dan attended San Marino High School where he was class president and co-captain of the varsity tennis team. During his sophomore year at Stanford University, he met Lora Jean Ferguson at the university’s program in Vienna, Austria, where they fell in love and then got married in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lora’s hometown.

Following their marriage, Lora and Dan moved to Boston where Dan pursued a master’s degree in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Upon graduation, following in the footsteps of his father’s distinguished service in World War II, Dan entered active duty in the Navy and taught national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and served in the Executive Office of the President in Washington, D.C.

After his three years of active duty service, Dan returned to Stanford where he earned a second master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science. He then accepted a position at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he served as a professor for 43 years. He also served as president of the faculty for two terms and established programs to assist veterans returning to college from active military service.

Dan also had visiting appointments at UCLA, USC and Brown University, where he helped to establish the Center for Foreign Policy Development, which is now the Watson Center. Dan was a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was the chair of its academic outreach initiative for many years.

In addition to his teaching, Dan maintained an active research agenda and authored five books, edited another five books, and published more than 60 academic papers on subjects related to international relations, American foreign policy and Russian politics. When he was a senator, Joe Biden wrote of one of Dan’s co-edited books that it was “must reading for anyone interested in the treaty ratification process.”

Dan also walked the walk as a peacemaker. For several years during the height of the Cold War, he organized and led joint teams of U.S. and Soviet students and professionals on visits to both countries to promote cultural and political understanding.

Dan was equally passionate about his teaching and research, and believed that the two complemented each other. He served as a mentor for countless students, who named him Professor of the Year. In addition, he received Pepperdine’s top teaching awards on four different occasions.

Dan and Lora were active for many years at Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church where Dan led a weekly men’s Bible study for 29 years and was an elder of the church. A fervent Democrat, Dan also volunteered countless hours to the preservation of democratic ideals and leadership.

Dan enjoyed playing tennis, skiing, boating and hiking in the local Santa Monica Mountains and national parks. He was a dedicated and amazing husband, father and grandfather, who, despite tremendous professional accomplishments, always prioritized spending quality time with family and friends. He loved the ocean, particularly spending days on the beach in San Clemente and Lanikai, and sailing on the open ocean with dear friends.

Dan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lora, his daughters, Beth and Ellen, his son John, his son-in-law Joel Medina, daughter-in-law Nadya Tolokonnikova, and his grandchildren Evelyn and Emiliano.

A public reception will be held at Pepperdine, but due to the recent fires, this will be delayed. Donations in Dan’s honor can be made to the MPN Research Foundation, and his family and colleagues are establishing a student veteran scholarship at Pepperdine University.