Robert Spurlin Waldrop (1912-2012)

Presents an obituary for Robert Spurlin Waldrop (1912-2012). After receiving a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Oklahoma in 1934 with a major in philosophy and a minor in psychology, Waldrop received a bachelor of divinity degree from the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1937. He began graduate work in psychology at the University of Chicago (1937-1940), where he worked with L. L. Thurstone and became interested in the work of William Sheldon. He continued graduate work at the University of Michigan (1940-1943) until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy during World War II. After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, Waldrop returned to Ann Arbor to resume his doctoral studies and was additionally appointed director of the Veterans Service Bureau at the University of Michigan. He completed his doctorate in June 1948 and in the fall accepted a position as dean of students at Vanderbilt University. Waldrop's work with veterans and development of doctoral counseling psychology brought him to the attention of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Waldrop played a pivotal role in the VA's decision to establish doctoral-level counseling psychologists in VA hospitals. He resigned from the VA in 1961 to return to academic life. He accepted a position as professor of psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, from which he retired in 1979. Throughout his career, Waldrop was involved in both professional and community affairs. Waldrop lived the history of modern psychology and contributed to that history.