The obituary of Joseph H. Grosslight was a fitting tribute to an impressive individual whose distinctions in psychology were so genuinely deserved (Anker, June 1989). We however would like to elaborate from personal experience on another dimension of his leadership as chair of psychology at Florida State University during the crucial years accompanying racial change in higher education in the southeastern United States. In 1968, we entered Florida State University as the first two African-American trainees in the doctoral program of which Joseph Grosslight was chair. At that time the racial climate was strained because of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, rebellion in the urban ghettos, student unrest, and the arguably slow pace of attempts to integrate many institutions of higher learning. At a time when the remnants of dejure segregation were still apparent, Joe Grosslight contributed strength and substance to the department's commitment to desegregation. Many programs seemed to stand by and passively await change, but he made vigorous efforts to include minority students in his. For example, he paid travel expenses for recruitment activities and he made funds available for culturally sensitive department publications designed to attract minorities to the various training programs. He was equally concerned about the retention of minority students through graduation. This was reflected in his continuous concern for a supportive atmosphere in the department as well as his efforts to foster similar attitudes among faculty and staff. We are not suggesting that the faculty and staff were antagonistic - in fact some were activists for civil rights. However, it made a difference that Joe Grosslight himself was genuinely interested. As in his other endeavors Joe Grosslight was typically tough-minded when he was confronted by minority students. He often would challenge us to share the initiative, to come up with our own ideas. If we had a proposal that required resources - that is, money - he would not back away. He would simply go through with it. Although these methods of minority recruitment and retention might seem unremarkable today, they were extraordinary at that time and place. In those days such commitment was rare and infrequently matched with either resources or know-how. From the 1970s through the remainder of his term as chair, there were about 14 doctorates in psychology awarded to African Americans. He seemed to be genuinely interested in the minority graduates, and he maintained contact with many of us. He was a dependable source of career advice and helped many of us through his far-reaching collegial networks. Beside his accomplishments as an eminent behavioral scientist, leader in the American Psychological Association, and department chair, Joseph Grosslight was for us a social-change agent. Because of his cooperation and support, significant numbers of minority students matriculated and ultimately attained doctorates in a department in which no such precedent existed. This too is an important legacy. REFERENCES Anker, J. M. (1989). Joseph H. Grosslight (1921-1988) American Psychologist, 44, 958. |