Daniel F. Callahan, professor of history, died on Jan. 25, 2024. He was 84. Born in Boston on Nov. 28, 1939, he was educated at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts (A.B., 1962), Boston College (M.A., 1965) and the University of Wisconsin (Ph.D., 1968). In 1968, he joined the faculty of the University of Delaware as assistant professor of medieval history and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1977 and full professor in 1994. He retired in 2018 after 50 years of service. 

Dr. Callahan gave many papers and published numerous articles and essays on monasticism in Aquitaine and in particular on the monk and historian Ademar of Chabannes, culminating in Jerusalem and the Cross in the Life and Writings of Ademar of Chabannes (Leiden-Boston, 2016). His courses were very popular, and his students were enraptured, resulting in his winning the University Awards for Advising in 2001 and for Teaching in 2002 (a rarity to win both) and in the publication of a commemorative volume put together by three of his students and published in 2014 (Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval History in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan). 

Dr. Callahan was an ardent fan of the Red Sox, classical music and solitary walks in nature, both in Newark and at his family’s summer cottage in Maine. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Kari Manns Callahan, and three children.

“I am indebted to Dan Callahan for a great deal,” said Lawrence Duggan, professor of history. “He steered the selection committee that called me for an interview in early 1970 to teach Renaissance-Reformation history. I received their recommendation and the department's unanimous vote. (It should be noted that seven new faculty joined the department that year.) Since Dan and I were both medievalists, he very agreeably divided up the Middle Ages with me in the courses I gave over the next five decades, since our interests complemented each other rather than conflicted. We figured out early on that our temperaments differed as well: he was a monk by disposition, I a cardinal. We also learned a great deal from each other, even if we did not always agree. He insisted, for instance, on holding on to the old terminology about ‘the Dark Ages’ and ‘barbarian Europe,’ while I accepted the more positive view of ‘the world of late antiquity.’ That kind of difference did not in any way diminish our enormous respect and friendship for over 50 years. It was therefore truly heartbreaking to watch his decline in his last years. I miss him enormously."

To read additional memories shared by students, friends and colleagues, visit the Department of History website. For those who wish to read his obituary and express their condolences, please visit the R.T. Foard Funeral Home website.