Daniel Fallon, 87, of Santa Fe, NM, passed away on October 4, 2025 surrounded by loving family.

Daniel was born in Cartagena, Colombia, the son of Maureen Byrne and Carlos Fallon. He moved to the United States at a young age and grew up primarily on the east coast. Dan graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD in 1956, then went on to Antioch College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Psychology followed by a master’s and doctorate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Daniel married Christine Laird on July 20, 1964 in Summit, New Jersey. Chris and her parents, Bill Laird and Mary Heath, had moved to the United States from South Africa in 1960, and while working a summer job, Chris met Dan’s mother, Maureen on her daily commute. Maureen conspired with her husband, Carlos, to introduce Chris to their son, Daniel and it was love at first sight. Their marriage brought the two families together and Chris and Dan’s parents became life-long friends who retired to the same community in Southport, North Carolina.

Chris and Dan began their marriage in Binghamton, New York where their two daughters Kathleen and Sylvia Fallon were born. They retired many years later in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Daniel and Christine had a marriage that inspired their friends and family – spanning decades that included cross-country moves and career changes, international adventures and so many get-togethers with their loved ones. They recently celebrated their 61st anniversary together.

Dan published widely on learning and motivation. He entered academic administration early in his career and served as Associate Dean of Arts and Science at Binghamton University (1969-1976), Dean of Arts and Science at University of Colorado at Denver (1976-1984) and Dean of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M (1984-1993), and as Provost and Academic Vice President at the University of Maryland at College Park (1993-1996) before returning to the faculty as Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology.

He concluded his career at Carnegie Corporation of New York, where he directed all grantmaking in education focusing on adolescent literacy, urban school reform, and especially teacher education (2000-2008). He retired in 2008, and moved to Santa Fe, NM, in 2010. Even in retirement, he remained active in teacher education reform activities and in restructuring of German higher education, where he served as a consultant to the German government and on Boards of Trustees of major universities.

He published two books: The German University: A Heroic Ideal in Conflict with the Modern World (1980), winner of the Kayden Prize for excellence in humanities, and more recently, Love's Legacy: Viscount Chateaubriand and the Irish Girl (2021), winner of NYC Big Book Award, Next Generation Indie Book Award, and Southwest Book Design and Production Award.

Dan especially loved to travel. He enjoyed exploring new cultures, trying new foods and learning new languages. Before taking a trip to China in the 1980s he would listen to cassette tapes of stock phrases that might come in handy and would walk around the house practicing them out loud.

He was a connoisseur of art and collected art from all of his many travels – from paintings to sculptures to decorative fabrics – he had an appreciation for craft and an eye for beauty. He enjoyed entertaining friends and family in his home - putting on the right background music, making a themed cocktail and touring guests around his collection of art accompanied by stories of the talented artist who created the piece and the circumstances around it.

He was deeply interested in his family history and spent years researching meticulous details about their past and reconstructing his family tree. Through genealogical testing he connected with long lost cousins whom he would meet for coffee and try to figure out their exact relationship. And he loved to turn this knowledge into storytelling - a skill that he inherited from his father. If you asked him one thing about his family history you better have been prepared to listen to the entire story over the next couple of hours.

Dan and his wife, Chris, spent their time in Santa Fe exploring the surroundings - going for hikes, visiting pueblos, traveling to all corners of the state. In the evenings, they spent time in their hot tub studying the constellations in the night sky. They chose to retire in Santa Fe, New Mexico in large part due to its Opera House. Dan was a huge fan of opera and they attended every performance - including every dress rehearsal - religiously. He also loved classical music in general, had an encyclopedic memory for composers and their opuses and he spent time everyday playing his grand piano.

His family remembers him as adventurous, knowledgeable and generous. He shared his love for travel, food, music and art with his kids and grandkids taking them on trips, to restaurants, to performances and art museums. His grandsons will miss taking rides with Grandpa in his fancy electric BMW, stopping for ice cream at his new favorite shop and watching the Denver Broncos with him in his media room. He had a zeal for life and everything it offered. We will all miss him dearly.

Daniel is survived by his wife, Christine Fallon; daughters Sylvia and Kathleen Fallon; son-in-law Giovani Burgos; his three grandsons Santiago Burgos-Fallon, Leo Fallon and Charlie Fallon; his sister Patricia Fallon and her children Hadley and Ken Conner.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

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