Alan Wade

1927 - 2026

Alan Dunwiddie Wade, 98, died on February 22, 2026.



Born in Milwaukee on August 31, 1927, Alan spent his early years in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Though he spent more than half of his life in Sacramento, he was a descendant of a designated "Wisconsin Pioneer Family," and part of the third generation in his family to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Growing up, he spent formative years summering on a relative's southern Wisconsin dairy farm. While his father was a graduate student at UW-Madison, Alan lived with his family on the shores of Lake Mendota at Camp Gallistella, a unique summer housing community for graduate students and their families.



Alan earned an AB from the UW-Madison in 1950, and in 1952 an AM in Social Work. In 1960, he earned a PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Chicago. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve during the Korean War.



Alan worked in child welfare in a rural Wisconsin county and later became Chief Social Worker at a state mental health institution. He taught in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago for 8 years. He left Chicago in 1967 to take the position of Dean of the School of Social Work at Sacramento State College (now CSUS). After five years developing this new program and guiding its accreditation, he took a leave of absence for a similar challenge at the University of Minnesota, where he directed the re-accreditation of the School of Social Work. He returned to CSUS in 1974 as a Professor of Social Work, teaching public social policy. He served as Chair of the Faculty Senate, President of the California Faculty Association, and as a member of the CSU (statewide) Academic Senate before his retirement in 1992. He was newsletter editor and later president of the Sacramento State Emeritus Faculty Association.



Alan served two years as president of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Later, he was statewide legislative chair for the California Chapter of NASW. He was the past Director of Legislative Affairs for CSU-ERFA (Emeritus and Retired Faculty Association), a statewide organization representing retirees. He was a member of the Retired Public Employee's Association's legislative committee, and a member of SCORE (Statewide Coalition of Retired Employees), representing ERFA. He co-authored a textbook and had several articles published in professional journals. He was active in the civil rights and welfare rights movements in the '60's and '70's, once sharing a speaker's platform with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the "Chicago Summer" of 1966.



After retiring from CSUS in 1992, Alan turned his activism to environmental conservation, serving as president of the Save the American River Association. He served on the Board of Directors of Jaybird Hill on the Cosumnes, a mutual benefit corporation dedicated to the conservancy and preservation of a former ranch property in the Sierra foothills near Placerville.



A lover of sports and spending time outdoors, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Alan played handball and skied into his early 90's. He was especially passionate about following all UW-Madison Badgers' teams. He drew joy from the domestic animals in his life, dogs and cats, alike.



Alan was preceded in death by his first wife, Donna Sanchez, his second wife, Sarah (White) Jennings, his daughter, Paula G. Wade, and his son, Douglas A. Wade.



Alan is survived by his loving life partner of 34 years, Lynda White, his daughter, Lucia Wade, and her spouse, Monica Nascimento. He leaves behind numerous, kind, extended family members, admiring friends, warm neighbors, and beloved cats.



A celebration of Alan's life is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at 11 am at Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, Curtis Hall, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento. Donations in his memory can be made to the Save the American River Association or to the Wisconsin Alumni Association.