Dan Chase of Baton Rouge graduated from Northwestern in 1957 with a degree in Health and Physical Education and earned a masters in Education Administration at Northeastern State College in 1964. He began his career as a teacher and coach in Concordia Parish and later worked as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas before returning to Louisiana as a teacher and coach in East Baton Rouge Parish and the Louisiana State School for the Deaf.
Chase made donations to establish the Dan and Lilly Chase and daughters Marty Causey and Lisa Chase Endowed Professorship in the College of Education, and the Dr. Francisco A. Silva Endowed Professorship in Psychology. He set up the Dan and Lilly Chase Athletic Scholarship. Chase received an honorary doctorate from Northwestern in 2005. He was co-chair of the University’s first capital campaign and was honorary chairman of the 2006 Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival. Chase made a donation for the fountain which is the focal point of Northwestern’s Alumni Plaza.