Donald B. Cochrane was born in 1940 in Canada. His first university degree was a B.A. (Honours) in English and Philosophy from Queen’s University in 1962. He subsequently earned a Teachers Certificate from Bishop’s University in 1963, an Academic Diploma in Philosophy and History of Education from Institute of Education, University of London in 1966, and a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Education from Institute of Education, University of London in 1967. He was an Associate Professor at California State University from 1970 to 1980. He came to the University of Saskatchewan in 1980 and served as the Head of the Department of Educational Foundations three times from 1980 to 2005. His areas of specialization include ethics and education; education, wisdom, and nature; and gay and lesbian issues in education. He was a chief organizer and founder of the Breaking the Silence Conference, which ran from 1998 to 2017. The Breaking the Silence Conference explored LGBTQ issues in education. His many awards and honours include the C.A.F.E. Service Award for significant contributions to the Canadian Association of Foundations of Education in May 2007, the Doug Wilson Award for significant contributions to improving the quality of life for gays and lesbians on the University of Saskatchewan campus in 2000, and the Distinguished Teacher Award, California State University Northridge in 1974. He retired from teaching at the University of Saskatchewan in 2005 and was granted the title Professor Emeritus.