PARCA Senior Research Analyst Don Dailey, 66, died Oct. 9 after a fall at his home.

Daily joined the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama in 2017 and led research in school discipline, analysis of school performance data and evaluations of local and statewide education initiatives.

“He also made sure that no staff birthday was ever missed, or special occasion forgot,” Ryan Hankins, executive director of PARCA wrote in a release.

Daily was a graduate of Birmingham’s Banks High School and earned a bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

He worked for Alabama’s Legislative Fiscal Office before going into national-level educational research in Washington, D.C., and later teaching, researching and working in outreach at various colleges and universities. At the time Daily was looking to return to his hometown, PARCA was looking to add an experienced education researcher, according to the statement.

“Don was a deeply kind and generous man full of surprises. He read broadly and thought deeply. He relished poetry, hiked avidly, rode motorcycles, played mandolin, studied art and rooted for the Washington Nationals. He was devoted to his wife, his children, and his grandchildren,” according to the release. “He spent his life working to improve the education system for children all over the country. He genuinely cared for others, and we experienced that first-hand through his friendship and commitment to his work.”

He is survived by his wife, Debbie Brewton Dailey; son, Don Edward Dailey Jr.; daughter, Lauren Danielle Dailey, and her husband, Steven; and two grandchildren, according to his obituary.