by John Hale, Associate Director (ret.)
Another redwood has fallen in California. Charles N. ("Chuck") Quigley passed away from congestive heart failure on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, at the age of 92.
The world's foremost authority on civic education for democracy, Chuck was the founder and executive director of the Center for Civic Education, where he led a national network of educators, scholars, and volunteers in every state and a similar international educational network in more than 80 other countries. The Center had its roots in a scholarly committee on civic education at UCLA and, under his leadership, began to work in 1965 with educators throughout the state of California, dedicated to increasing students' and teachers' knowledge of and commitment to constitutional principles and values.
Although Chuck described himself as a "generalist," Dr. Margaret Branson many years ago described him more accurately as a genius. He could see things and do things in the field that most of us could not, and his accomplishments were profound. He was a curricular and programmatic innovator who was the chief author and driving force behind programs and textbook series, including We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution, Project Citizen, and Foundations of Democracy. He served the same role in the creation of fundamental curricular documents, including the National Standards for Civics and Government, CIVITAS: A Framework for Civic Education, and Res Publica: An International Framework for Education in Democracy. It was his idea to create the Campaign to Promote Civic Education that advocated for support for the subject by civic educators and legislators in every state. This is only a partial list of his numerous projects and publications. As Alvin Bell, an extraordinary educator from Ohio who assisted the Center in developing the National Standards, said, he was a "Giant of Civic Education."
As one might expect, as a result of his many contributions Chuck received a number of awards over the decades, including one that he particularly cherished–a surprise designation as "Champion of Civic Education" more than 30 years ago from the state leaders of the We the People programs. The eminent former Congressman Lee Hamilton said of Chuck that, "if there was a Hall of Fame for public service Chuck Quigley would be elected on the first ballot."
Despite all of his accomplishments, he was a modest person. Even before the creation of the Center, he always welcomed and even required close and critical comments on the books, texts, and other pieces that he wrote, never dismissing any point of view out of hand and including any reasonable and relevant perspective. He was delighted to work jointly with other authors as well as organizations. At the time of his death, he was collaborating on a book about democratic norms and their necessity for the preservation of constitutional democracy and the civic culture to sustain it.
He also loved to laugh and enjoy life, whether it was at a staff meeting in Calabasas or at a beer hall in Germany. If there was ever tension in a gathering, there was a good chance that Chuck would come up with an insightful quip to dissolve it. He was also empathetic and sentimental, and tears rolled down his cheeks on a number of occasions when he learned of serious misfortunes of his friends or his "second family," the Center's network of wonderful people.
He leaves behind his most beloved "first" family, including his wife and greatest supporter Nanette, daughters Lise (husband Jesse) and Monique, and grandchildren Bianca, Che, and Zev.
The date, time, and location of a celebration of his extraordinary life will be posted on the Center for Civic Education's website (www.civiced.org/quigley) when the details are available. It is not expected that this will take place anytime soon. Cards, letters, and flowers can be sent to the Center for Civic Education and will be picked up by Chuck's family. The Center's address is 5115 Douglas Fir Rd., Suite J, Calabasas, CA, 91302.
Sending love to all and cherishing family, friends, and our brief time on Earth,
John Hale
By Mark Molli, Associate Director (ret.)
I am greatly saddened today by the passing of my friend and colleague Chuck Quigley, the founder and former executive director of the Center for Civic Education. I first met Chuck when I worked as a congressional aide to Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins (D-California). He came to discuss support for a law-related education provision in an education bill that supported the Center's work as well as other organizations in the field. When I later came to work for the Center during Congressman Hawkins' retirement year, I told Chuck it would be an honor to work for him. He said "No Mark, not work for me, but work with me." I was proud to work "with him" for almost 30 years. He was a mentor, colleague, friend, and a father-like figure in my life. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious. Even at his advanced age, and up to last week, he was working on a book with Dr. Diana Owen of Georgetown University on political norms. He was constantly in pursuit of the ideal of creating "a more perfect union" and inspired others to do the same. In his words to the students at the We the People national competition, "join in the struggle to narrow the gap between the ideals of our nation and the realities of our society."
It should also be known that the Center cooperated and collaborated with numerous other education organizations, conducted joint professional development institutes with them, and invited them to speak at their conferences. The Center on Representative Government at Indiana University, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the John Marshall Foundation, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and the Bill of Rights Institute are just some of the many organizations the Center collaborated with over the years. Under Chuck's and Bob Leming's leadership, the Center developed Justice Is Also Deaf, a civic education program for deaf students in collaboration with Civication, Inc. This led to the inaugural Justice Is Also Deaf national competition at Gallaudet University in May 2011. They also partnered with Frontiers International, Inc., a nonprofit for African American urban youth, to implement the We the People program.
The development and subsequent publication of the National Standards for Civics and Government (1994) was a highly successful nationwide initiative spearheaded by Chuck that gave the discipline of civic education prominence in America. It involved collaboration with hundreds of scholars, teacher review panels, social studies specialists, state review committees, and national organizations. It was a model of inclusiveness and cooperation and it received national acclaim and praise for its content. The Civics Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (sometimes called the "The Nation's Report Card") was developed by Center staff and was based upon the Center's National Standards for Civics and Government.
The Congressional Conferences on Civic Education (2003-2006) held in Washington, D.C., were a signature initiative of cooperation and collaboration. The conferences brought together a wide array of national, state, and local policymakers, teachers, education experts, and other leaders to discuss how to improve civic education. The conferences were sponsored by the Center, the Center on Representative Government at Indiana University, and the National Conference of State Legislatures, which could have used the grant monies to further their own programs, but instead used the opportunity to promote the field, inspired by the idea that "a rising tide lifts all boats."
But the most innovative collaborative effort devised by Chuck began with the We the People program in 1987 through the creation of a 50-state national network of educational leaders that had the capacity to deliver civic education programs directly to the schools. That network was expanded into a greater family of expert and mentor teachers, scholars, and others that created a national constituency for civic education. For the We the People coordinators reading this, you should know the high regard and respect Chuck had for your efforts. He was proud of your leadership and hard work to bring the We the People programs into America's classrooms. Many people didn't realize that when the Center received a federal grant, 75% of that amount went directly into the field to the state network so they could deliver free curriculum, teacher training, and technical assistance.
One of our international colleagues once spoke up at a Council of Europe conference after feeling frustrated by an esoteric debate regarding the launching of an initiative to support democracy programs. The debate was circular and no progress was being made. She took the mic and told the conference participants, "the Center for Civic Education is like the Nike slogan: they 'Just Do It,'" meaning that our Center was a no-nonsense organization that followed through and delivered tangible results on the ground without fanfare to schools, teachers, and students. We didn't brag, we didn't grandstand, and we didn't strut. We just did it. That is the performance-type results that the Center under Chuck Quigley's leadership epitomized, and I was proud to work alongside him for nearly 30 years in that pursuit of excellence in education.
Federal funding for We the People was derived from a congressional authorization in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), through a subsection called the Education for Democracy Act (EDA). The EDA, at its zenith, provided $35 million of national and international civic education funding, the majority for the We the People and Project Citizen programs. The We the People Programs, with funding from Congress for more than 24 consecutive years, provided fair and equitable civic education resources to every state and congressional district. That is a pretty remarkable achievement, and it was the result of Chuck's genius and persistence in administering a national program instead of a nonprofit content with limited goals and impact. We the People was supported in Congress by Republicans and Democrats from one end of the political spectrum to the other. A U.S. Department of Education official once said that when she visited a high-needs school in Philadelphia, she was proud to see a We the People textbook on a student's desk, knowing that the program was funded by her agency. Today, alumni of the We the People program grace every aspect of our country, at every level of government, and every level of civil society.
I will also never forget Chuck's leadership in developing and implementing the Civitas International Programs, which have trained over 400,000 teachers and brought interactive civic education programs to over 12 million young people throughout the world in emerging and established democracies. I remember vividly when he worked with the United States Information Agency (USIA) to bring a team of teachers to help develop democracy programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina shortly after the war in 1996. The highlight of my professional career was being part of that team of teachers. When there is darkness, someone has to light a candle. Chuck Quigley was that person. Today, 84 international sites have participated in the Civitas International Programs, giving hope that a new generation of citizens will live in a democratic society.
As scripture says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die." The world today is a better place because of the life work of Chuck Quigley. Rest in peace, my friend, and know that everything you devoted your life to was on the side of the angels.
Mark Molli
