Obituary: Joseph Banks Rhine (1895-1980).

This item presents an obituary for Joseph Banks Rhine (1895-1980). During more than 50 years of research and related activities, Rhine made a sustained effort to develop psychical research into an experimental, academically based science and to win acceptance for it from the scientific community. The terms 'parapsychology' and 'extra-sensory perception', which he introduced in 1934 to denote, respectively, the new field devoted to the experimental study of psychic abilities and the abilities themselves, have become standard terms and testify to Rhine's importance for the field. Although Rhine's critics were able to score some minor points against his statistical techniques, he and his colleagues were able to demonstrate that their evaluative methods were basically sound, and they received support from the president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. The APA was subsequently willing to consider parapsychology seriously to the extent of appointing a committee of APA members to advise the "Journal of Parapsychology". The Duke parapsychology group, in turn, published their most ambitious survey of the field in 1940 in their book "Extra-Sensory Perception After Sixty Years", hoping to win the support of behavioral scientists. In the ensuing decades, however, parapsychology did not succeed in developing an academic network much beyond what it possessed in 1940. Rhine was recognized both within and without parapsychology as the founder and most authoritative spokesperson of the field. Only months before his death, in October 1979, he was elected president of the Society for Psychical Research in London. Rhine was a man of striking appearance and strong personality. The latter was important to the maintenance of his values and goals in the face of the hostility and ridicule that continued, sporadically, until the very end of his life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic (1937-2003).

Presents the obitiuary for Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic (1937-2003), recognized not only for her contributions to neuroscience but also for her humanity. The one scientific accomplishment for Dr. Goldman- Rakic is universally recognized is her contribution to the understanding of the role of the prefrontal cortex in working memory, and because of her numerous and outstanding accomplishments, she received many honors in her career. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Robert A. Harper (1915-2004).

Presents the obituary for Robert A. Harper (1915-2004). Dr. Harper is noted for his contributions to the field of psychotherapy, particularly to the areas of marriage, family, and sex therapy. In addition, his expertise, good nature, and no-nonsense style made him a popular figure amongst his peers, who elected him to leadership positions in numerous professional organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituaries: Gregory A. Kimble (1917-2006).

Presents an obituary for Gregory A. Kimble, a general psychologist who passed away on January 15, 2006. Dr. Kimble had a lifelong allegiance to a particular approach to psychological science, and he was a superb organizer, synthesizer, and explicator of psychological fact and theory. He had a lifelong commitment to APA's Division of General Psychology, and from that division, he received the Hilgard Award for Lifelong Contributions to General Psychology and, in appreciation for his years of service to the division, its C. Alan Boneau Award for Distinguished Service. Dr. Kimble also played significant roles outside of APA. He was a member of several other psychological societies, including the exclusive Society of Experimental Psychologists. He will be missed by his family, his legion of friends and associates, and by the APA convention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

David V. Smith (1943-2006).

Presents an obituary for David V. Smith, who succumbed to a brain tumor on September 30, 2006 at the age of 63. He was Simon R. Bruesch Professor and chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and the director of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Josef Maria Bro?ek (1913-2004).

Presents an obituary and information about the life and accomplishments of Josef Maria Bro?ek. Born August 14, 1913, in the ancient town of Melnik, in central Bohemia, today the Czech Republic, Josef spent his childhood in Poland (Warsaw, 1913- 1915) and in Siberia (1915-1920). His education in Czechoslovakia culminated with a thesis on "Memory, Its Measurement and Structure" and a PhD awarded in June 1937. In the history of psychology, his lifetime project bore the title "Historiography of Psychology Around the World," and it covered about 20 geographical areas. Extensive attention was devoted to institutional and organizational developments as journals, academic settings, archives, museums, research groups, conferences, and institutes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Josef Bro?ek's Bethlehem Years.

Presents an obituary and reflections about Josef Maria Bro?ek. It is noted that in his Bethlehem, Pennsylvania "retirement" years, Josef Bro?ek edited about a book a year. Highlights of Josef's Bethlehem years in the history of psychology include two National Endowment for the Humanities conferences on the teaching of the history of psychology; consultation on the PhD program at the University of New Hampshire; development of the Archives of the History of American Psychology; the founding of American Psychological Association Division 26 (History of Psychology), acting as division president once; and participating in Cheiron. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Josef Bro?ek: The Spanish Connection.

Presents reflections on Josef Maria Bro?ek's contributions toward the development of psychology in the nation of Spain. The author recounts that Bro?ek became one of our most enthusiastic supporters and advisors. He also encouraged us to go ahead with the project of the Revista de Historia de la Psicologia, a journal on the history of psychology that we had created in 1980 at the University of Valencia. This journal, now entering its 25th year of existence, offers an average of 500 pages per year--in Spanish or English--devoted to its topic. It is the only living journal on the specialty published in Spanish, and it includes most of the world's specialists among its authors. From the very first issue, Bro?ek became a member of its advisory committee, and a Festschrift was published in his honor in 1984 (Revista de Historia de la Psicologia, Vol. 5, No. 1-2). This volume turned out to be a true international monograph on the history of psychology, as was only natural considering the many connections held by Bro?ek at the time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Josef Bro?ek: Friendship and History.

Presents reflections on the life and achievements of Josef Maria Bro?ek. The author notes that, in his way, Bro?ek turned psychology historiography into an international domain involving, in this construction, researchers from countries not only of Anglo Saxon languages but also those of Slavic and Latin languages, including Brazil. Quoting from Braque, he affirmed that "knowledge of the past enables the revelation of the present." However, he believed that "reality is not revealed if it is not sparkled by a poetic beam." The poetry of life illuminated Bro?ek and his actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituaries: Leo Joseph Postman (1918-2004).

Presents the obituary of Leo Joseph Postman, one of the most prolific psychologists of the last century. With over 250 publications to his credit, Postman died on April 22, 2004, of heart failure in Marblehead, Massachusetts, at the age of 85. His life and career accomplishments are discussed. Postman is best known for his interests in perception, serial learning, memory, and interference theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)