Well, what have you done lately that's of any value at all?" was a common friendly/fiesty greeting to colleagues and friends and an axiom by which Joe Grosslight lived. A man of immense vitality, he actively engaged in his discipline and his life and had a significant effect on the evolution of psychology as an academic discipline, a helping profession, and a scholarly arena.

He was born on December 28, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles (1943), and the MA (1945) and PhD (1947) from Yale University. As an experimental psychologist, his interests focused on applications of learning theory to behavioral phenomena, including flight training. He was a licensed pilot with instrument and commercial ratings and had an uncommonly strong dedication to private flying.

After receiving the PhD, Joe joined the Department of Psychology at Pennsylvania State University as an assistant professor and rose to the rank of professor. In 1961, he became professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Kent State University. Five years later he became chair of the Department of Psychology at Florida State University (FSU), a post he held for 20 years.

As a researcher and scholar, Joe contributed significantly to the literature in learning, animal behavior, speech, flight training, and graduate education. His interest in the preparation of teachers of psychology was well known. He established the Junior College Teaching Program at FSU, providing an opportunity for graduate students to gain experience in teaching while offering service. At a time when it was not in vogue and not mandated, Joe was extraordinarily active in recruiting minority students to graduate study. He had a commanding personal conviction and commitment, and as in many of his endeavors, he succeeded impressively. Several early minority graduates of the FSU program now occupy senior positions as academic administrators and faculty.

His involvement with professional organizations and concern with professional and disciplinary issues facing psychology were driving forces, as evidenced by his presidency of the Southeastern Psychological Association and his long and in-depth involvement with the American Psychological Association (APA). Joe was a significant leader in APA initiatives in graduate education, accreditation, and credentialing. As a frequent senior accreditation site visitor to clinical doctoral programs throughout the country, he reflected an intense interest in the totality of graduate education. He co-chaired the Morgantown Conference on Graduate Education in Psychology in 1987

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and the national conference it spawned, which was held in Salt Lake City in June of that year.

Joe played leadership roles in many arenas, including the National Science Foundation, Veterans Administration, Educational Testing Service, Committee on Interorganizational Program for Licensing and Designation, Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, and the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. In 1986 he was a consultant to the Florida Board of Regents for program reviews in psychology and at the time of his death was serving the State University System of Florida as a member of a committee investigating educational standards for professional programs.

Joe Grosslight was an exceptional man who made exceptional contributions. Underlying his contributions was the strength of his commitment to problem solving and his openness to new ideas. He encouraged discussion and integration among diverse, and sometimes inhospitable, elements of the discipline. Perhaps nowhere is this better seen than in the role he played in articulating agreements and differences among several fields within psychology and in his activities with the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. His energy and willingness to extend himself, his active and omnipresent sense of humor, and his intelligence contributed not only to the scholarly literature in his area but also to the discipline and the faculties and students he served. He believed in addressing tasks before him with style, grace, and effectiveness. An excellent administrator, he had a talent for surrounding himself with capable people. He was avid about fitness, would bring his jogging gear with him to professional meetings, and often could be found on the tennis court.

Praised or criticized, liked or disliked, I suspect few, if any, who knew Joe were indifferent to him. His influence was broad and deep. He knew many, many people active in the discipline and was able to bring them together in an unusual and positive way. This is reflected dramatically by his recent contributions as co-Chair of the Conference on Graduate Education, which earned him APNs Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology Award.

Joe died following surgery in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 22, 1988, at age 66. A significant and cherished colleague, he is missed profoundly. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and two sons, Kenneth and James.

James M. Anker
University of South Florida

June 1989 - American Psychologist

Copyright 1989 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0003 066X/89/$00.75

Vol. 44, No. 6, 958