Mary E. Reuder
ASA member Mary E. Reuder, born in 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed away peacefully November 15, 2017, of natural causes at age 94 near her beloved lake home in Shohola, Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marvin A. Iverson, a social psychologist.
Mary completed her undergraduate work at College of St. Catherine (1944), her MA from Brown University (1945), and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (1951). In any era, she was remarkably well trained as a statistician, experimental psychologist, and licensed clinical psychologist, but particularly so at a time when women were not as active in academia as they are today.
She worked for the US Navy as a management specialist and a research psychologist for the Adjunct General’s Office of the US Army before accepting a faculty instructor position at Queens College of the City University of New York in 1954. She rose through the ranks. During her tenure, she held positions as chair of the undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology at Queens College, chaired the Queens College Academic Senate, and was highly active in faculty governance. She retired in 1986 but remained active in the American Psychological Association (APA).
Mary was the recipient of the William James award for outstanding contributions to psychology from the NY State Psychological Association, received funding from the National Science Foundation, and was involved with Sigma Xi. The APA Florence Denmark and Mary E. Reuder award from Division 52 was created in recognition of her scholarly contributions, international outlook, and outstanding mentoring, particularly of junior faculty and undergraduates. Mary was a member of the APA for more than 60 years as a fellow, president of Divisions 1 and 36, and member of the Council of Representatives. She remained active in the APA until she was in her late 80s.
Mary seemed to be just around the corner, waiting for everyone to catch up and with an ever-deepening vision of what it takes to become a well-trained, clear-thinking scientist. No one has done so much for so long to assist students, junior faculty, or the profession. Everyone who met her enjoyed her quick wit, to-the-point challenging questions, uncanny ability to navigate the seas of academia, piercing blue eyes, and—of course—those sandals, which she wore all year long. She is remembered for her generosity in both professional and personal relationships. It will be difficult to fill her sandals, but she left a trail of footprints that many of us will follow.
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