Donald Schaefer was born in Searcy, AR in 1932. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arkansas State college before working at Hurley Printing Co. and Arkansas College. He also served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Army reserve. He worked in the University of Arkansas Division of Information, currently known as University Relations, from 1970 until 1995 when he retired. He obtained a Master of Education in 1984 from U of A while working. Schaefer oversaw the editing of the annual Catalog of Studies and the U of A campus map each year in addition to other projects. He was well known by colleagues for his wide breadth of historical knowledge pertaining to university history and most of its buildings since its inception as well as state and local history. After retirement, Schaefer continued his historical research and often corresponded with staff at the university; fielding campus history questions and conducting his own research in the Special Collections department. He was an avid historian and a member of the Washington County Historical Society and the editor of its publication, "Flashback", which won awards during his tenure. Schaefer was a member of the Kiwanis International for over 50 years, an A-plus member of the Arkansas Alumni Association, and a deacon for University Baptist Church. In 2018, Donald Schaefer died of pancreatic cancer at 85 years old.