Obituary of Janet Hudson Caldwell

Janet H. Caldwell (1950 – 2021)

We are saddened to share news of the passing of Janet Lynn Hudson Caldwell (1950—2021): a loss for her family, all those who loved her, all those whose lives she touched, and the field of math education. Born to Eddie and Olga, she was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her sister, Karen, who passed when they were young. It brings comfort to imagine that they have been reunited. She is survived by her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Janet possessed an international reputation as a respected, innovative developer of kindergarten through eighth grade mathematics textbooks, curricula, and teaching methods. She was a senior author of the most widely distributed mathematics book series in the United States with a career in book authorship of over thirty years.[1] Her forty-five year career in education featured Janet’s professorship in mathematics at Rowan University of New Jersey, where she taught and mentored generations of aspiring teachers.[2] She consulted with school districts to improve curriculum development, engaged in hundreds of workshops for in-service math teachers, and served as a role model for young professionals seeking to enter the field.

While many remember Janet as a tour de force educator and accomplished professional, we would like to celebrate the many facets that made her such a beautiful and complex human being. It is fair to say that ballet was her first love, the movement and beauty captured her imagination. She particularly loved The Firebird, a story about magic, redemption, and rebirth. Janet found a similar beauty in math from an early age. Math was everywhere and you could sense her excitement in sharing that knowledge – whether she was lecturing about the infinite possibilities to be found in fractals, playing with the pleasing puzzling patterns of tessellations and other games with her family, or helping her students quilt together concepts they had learned (sometimes quite literally). To her, math was an entire world, a magic in and of itself. It came naturally, then, that she believed learning math and science should be fun; a thread you will find sewn throughout all of her work.

Janet earned her B.A. with honors at Rice University, triple majoring in mathematics, education, and French. At Rice, she enjoyed learning about computers and early coding that speaks to her continual integration of technology in the classroom. She earned her M.A. in math education and Ph.D. in math education research at the University of Pennsylvania before working at an educational research organization and then at what would become Rowan University. At one time, Janet was the holder of the largest research grant at the university and progressed to full Professor in record time, having founded and directed a STEM center at Rowan for mathematics, computer, and science education outreach (McSiip).

Janet had an embarrassingly long list of awards and accolades that speak volumes of her service to the field. Among them are the Max Sobel Outstanding Mathematics Educator (1994), the Carnegie Foundation New Jersey Professor of the Year (1995), and the Distinguished Teaching Award for the New Jersey Section of the Mathematics Association of America (2000). She held a board seat with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), having chaired several committees, and was a leader in math education in New Jersey, serving in every leadership position, including president, of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey (AMTNJ). She was also a leader of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and other professional organizations.

For all her professional credits and awards, Janet was motivated most by her love of teaching, inspired by generations of women in her family that not only valued the power of education, but of educating others. One colleague has been quoted as saying that, “Her eyes would sometimes actually twinkle when she caught a student in an ‘aha’ moment.” She taught the hard courses, those which set a path for aspiring teachers on the one hand, and math majors on the other.

Mathematical themes often featured in Janet’s needlework. A hugely accomplished needlepointer, one could often see a hidden mathematical twist in her patterns. Whenever she had the time, Janet could be seen perched in a comfy chair in the sunshine, with canvas and needle at hand. An enormous needlepoint rug – a twenty-year project – sits nearly completed upon its frame. Happily, a dear friend has volunteered to complete it.

The indelible contributions that Janet has made in her lifetime is unquestionable. Her work will live on and we take solace in knowing the lasting effects of that legacy. She will be greatly missed.