Theodore Kaltsounis Obituary

Name: Memorial service for Theodore Kaltsounis
Start: 2015-12-21T19:00:00.000Z
Location: St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

Theodore Kaltsounis

Theodore "Ted" Kaltsounis, Ph.D., a University of Washington Professor Emeritus of Education, died peacefully surrounded by his family on December 13, 2015, in Bothell, Washington. He was 85.

Born in Divri, Albania, to the late Fr. Haralampos and Sophia (Pappas) Kaltsounis, Dr. Kaltsounis and his family fled to Greece during World War II to escape persecution by Albania's communist regime. He came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship and earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, focusing his research on social studies and civics instruction for elementary-school students. He met his wife Maria (Mesires) during his first university teaching position in Oswego, New York, and they married on August 25, 1963, in Watertown, New York. Dr. and Mrs. Kaltsounis moved to Seattle when he joined the University of Washington faculty in 1967.

Dr. Kaltsounis's career was marked by the many creative programs he initiated and by his leadership in local and national organizations. One highlight was his 13-year project to help democratize Albania by reforming its education system. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, this project trained hundreds of educators and created curriculum materials to teach Albanian children the principles of democratic governance as the country emerged from decades of communism. In honor of his work there, Albania's University of Elbasan created the Theodore Kaltsounis Center for Democratic Citizenship Education.

Dr. Kaltsounis also served as Chair of the UW Faculty Senate and as President of the National Council for the Social Studies. Dr. Kaltsounis authored many books, including one of Silver Burdett Ginn's most successful social studies textbooks for elementary students. Active in university affairs even after his retirement, Dr. Kaltsounis spearheaded the creation of the UW Jackson School of International Studies' Hellenic Studies Program and a study-abroad program for UW students to attend the University of Ioannina in Greece. A long-time member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Dr. Kaltsounis served as parish council president and as a psalti (chanter) during services.

Apart from his teaching, research, and community activities, Dr. Kaltsounis enjoyed spending time with his family and close friends. He served as a Rotarian for over 30 years, enjoyed playing tavli (Greek backgammon), and was a devout Husky football fan. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother, and is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Maria; his children Sophia (Chris) Tobe, George (Christina) Kaltsounis, and Andreas (Sarah) Kaltsounis; and his grandchildren Christina, Ariana, Nicholas, Theodore, Andrew, and Alexander. He is also survived by his younger siblings Yiannoula Beroukas, Vasilios "Bill" Kaltsounis, Kassiani Zikos, Orestes "Rusty" Kaltsounis, and Eleftheria Mpras, and their families, including many nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Monday, December 21, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the UW Hellenic Studies Program.

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Published by The Seattle Times from Dec. 15 to Dec. 20, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for Theodore Kaltsounis

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1 Entry

Joe Gotchy

December 16, 2015

Sad news in the social studies world this morning as the Seattle Times includes the obituary for Professor Ted Kaltsounis, a elegant, scholarly, friendly, and good human being. I worked with Professor Kaltsounis while I was a graduate student at the UW. He became a role model and personal champion for my career. As a former National Council for the Social Studies president he encouraged me to move in circles that allowed me to forge a national network that eventually led to my election to the NCSS board of directors in the early 1990s. He took great pleasure in that fact. Similar stories can be told by thousands of others who were embraced, educated and cheered on by the good professor. The last time I saw him was at my late neighbor's end of the summer party that celebrated Greek culture, cuisine and friendship. Margaret and I saw Mr. and Mrs. Kaltsounis sitting at a table in the backyard. After hugs and greetings, we were invited to sit with them. The next two hours flew by as we caught up on family matters and talked about education in general and social studies in particular. I was not surprised to hear that in "retirement" Professor Kalstounis was fully engaged in professional work that included helping European colleagues and policy makers enhance the quality of their nation's social studies and civic education programs. Neatly every time I saw the professor he would encourage me to complete a doctoral program at the UW. It is the only bit of his advice that I didn't or couldn't embrace. With that said, I am indebted to Professor Kalstounis and am happy to have known him. His legacy is alive and active in social studies classrooms and minds around the world.

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