Dr. John A. Van de Walle was one of the most renowned mathematics educators in the country and the author of Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, the book that, in its seventh edition, continues to be the leading text and resource in the United States and Canada for teaching K-8 mathematics. John A. Van de Walle graduated cum laude from Bellarmine College in 1965 with a degree in mathematics, earned his master's degree in mathematics at St. Louis University in 1967, and in 1972, earned his doctoral degree in mathematics education from Ohio State University. He spent most of his career at Virginia Commonwealth University where he was Professor Emeritus and for… 29 years taught mathematics education to pre-service and in-service teachers. He retired in 2002, but continued to write and work with teachers to promote mathematics education. He also served as a consultant to various school systems in the U.S. and Canada. He was an active member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and served on its board of directors from 1998 to 2001. He once said, "It is fun to figure out the puzzle of how children go about making sense of mathematics and then how to help teachers help kids." Dr. Van de Walle died at home on December 2, 2006. He is survived by his wife Sharon of 40 years, his two daughters, and three grand daughters.