Obituary of Dale J Prediger

Dale Joseph Prediger: Iowa City, Iowa; 85, died peacefully on Dec. 22, 2019, in Iowa City. Dale chose to be cremated, and services will be private. To honor him, instead of flowers, contributions can be made to Iowa City's Shelter House, CommUnity (formally the Iowa City Crisis Center), or the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Dale was born on May 8, 1934 in Lenzburg, Illinois, a small, coal-mining town. His father (Joseph) founded, supervised, & worked in the Golden Rule Coal Company. His mother (Leota Traut) was a teacher. His brother (Curt) was a teacher, counselor, & coach in Michigan high schools. After graduating from high school in 1952, Dale went to Southern Illinois University (SIU). In 1954, he joined the Army to obtain G.I. Bill benefits. He was stationed in Germany--as he requested. (Prediger means preacher in German.). When released from the Army, he returned to SIU to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree. Dale was united in marriage to Kay Breidecker in 1958. They have two children - Ellen (Damir Spanjol) of Austin, TX, and Kathy (Mike Conner) of Shueyville, IA. After obtaining a doctorate from the University of Missouri, Dale taught measurement & statistics at the University of Toledo. In 1970, Dale & Kay moved to Iowa City where he worked at American College Testing (ACT) for over 30 years. At ACT, Dale directed the development of ACT's career-relevant interest & ability measures, career planning services, Map of College Majors (MCM), & World-of-Work Map (WWM). Dale retired from ACT in 2002. Dale had over 100 publications (journal articles, book chapters, etc.), & he was on editorial boards for 3 career-related journals. In 1993-94, he was president of the Association for Assessment in Career Counseling. In 1998, he received the National Career Development Association's Eminent Career Award "In recognition of his superb blend of theory, research, and their practical applications, which have helped millions find focus for career exploration." Dale & Kay were active outdoors (hiking, canoeing, & camping) and indoors (tennis & dancing). They regularly met with their life-long friends (the "Pro/Cons") on dance floors. to play volleyball, & to travel. Dale was also a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society.