Linda Almar Caldwell

Linda A. Caldwell

Dr. Linda A. Caldwell, age 67, passed away April 22, 2018 following a quiet and valiant battle with cancer. She is survived by beloved cousins, Mary Beth Spiegel of Folsom, NJ, Scott Eisenlohr of Smithville, NJ, Robin Capecci of Elkins Park, PA, Laurence Eisenlohr of Merion Station, PA, John Eisenlohr of Cincinnati, OH, Mary Eisenlohr of Oak Park, IL and their families. Her family remembers her with love for her great sense of humor, intelligence, sweetness, beautiful red hair and her large dose of wanderlust. We never knew where her new adventures would take her but we were all hoping that they would take her near to us next.

Linda was a cherished member of the Texas Woman's University Department of Dance faculty. She was a performer, choreographer, writer, historian, professor, mentor, editor, peer reviewer, and supportive colleague-a renaissance woman in the dance field. People who knew her were struck by her curiosity, passion for choreography and movement, love for students and education, excitement for her own personal learning, innate ability to excite others about ideas, and patience when mentoring.

Born in Philadelphia on August 8,1950, Linda grew up in a military family, experiencing the excitement and challenge of living in several diverse communities throughout the U.S. Home for her was the University of Wisconsin in Madison where she earned both an MA and an MFA in dance. Linda choreographed and danced professionally and went on to teach in the dance programs at UW Stevens Point, the University of Alabama, and Columbia College in South Carolina. In 2002, she earned her PhD from TWU with a dissertation that examined the practices of a contemporary dance company in Poland, a country she visited multiple times in her career, taking students for research and learning opportunities. In 2005, she joined the faculty of TWU where, among other things, she was instrumental in implementing the low-residential PhD program in dance.

Linda was proud of the creative life she lived, particularly her Resident Choreographer status at the Joseph Chaikin Open Theatre in San Francisco, her participation in the DANCE 2050 Conferences, and her work with the World Dance Alliance, including the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship and the Online Video Dance Performance Project. Linda touched the lives of many students over her forty-year teaching career, and will be missed and honored by dancers, choreographers, researchers, students, and teachers all over the world.

This past year Linda never gave up. She lived as fully and as creatively as possible continuing to teach her courses and prepare PhD students for graduation, visit her beloved family in Philadelphia, tame a feral cat named Dori, spend time with the Denton Tai Chi group, and dance all night long at her retirement party in March. We are thankful Dr. Caldwell was a part of this world and are comforted by the fact that her strength, energy, and stoic presence will forever be remembered.

A memorial celebrating the life of Linda Caldwell and her extraordinary service to the dance field will be held at 6pm at the Little Chapel in the Woods at Texas Woman's University on May 16, 2018. In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions to the Linda Caldwell Dance Scholarship Fund. For information about the memorial and to make a donation please contact the TWU Department of Dance, 940.898.2086 or dance@twu.edu.