06/16/2019
Dear Colleagues,
It is with profound sadness that I write to inform you that one of Flint College’s founding faculty members, Dr. Alfred (Al) Raphelson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, passed away on Thursday, June 13, at age 91. A self-described “Michigan Man,” Dr. Raphelson earned all three of his degrees from the University of Michigan (B.A. 1950, M.A. 1951, and Ph.D. 1956) and was one of 14 founding faculty members of the Flint College of the University of Michigan.
Dr. Raphelson began as the head the Department of Social Sciences in 1956. As an assistant professor, associate professor, and then professor of psychology, Dr. Raphelson played an integral role in building the Flint campus as he facilitated faculty hiring and promotion, faculty code development, policy development, departmental structures, and most notably, the transition of the Flint College to the four year institution we know today as the University of Michigan-Flint.
Dr. Raphelson was a master teacher and lecturer - he served for seven years as the only psychology faculty member until 1965. During this time he taught courses in Social Psychology, Human Traits and Behavior, Motivation and Learning, and Personality. He continued to broaden his teaching over the years to include virtually every course in the curriculum: Principles of Psychology, History and Systems of Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Perception and Thought, Senior Seminar, and Experimental Design. Dr. Raphelson drew large numbers of students to his courses, including early students Bobby Crim, former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and Joe Roberson, former Athletic Director at Michigan. He earned four teaching awards from his students and colleagues between 1975 and 1989.
“Al Raphelson's lectures blended substance and humor such that it was difficult to differentiate education from entertainment,” noted former psychology colleague Dr. Ronald Silverman. Dr. Raphelson was a master teacher and lecturer—for seven years he was the sole psychology faculty member. During that time, he taught courses in Social Psychology, Human Traits and Behavior, Motivation and Learning, and Personality. By Dr. Raphelson’s retirement in 1991, his teaching had broadened to include nearly every course in the curriculum.
Dr. Raphelson’s research and passions focused on the history of psychology, with numerous publications in the areas of human motivation and physiological psychology to his credit. Dr. Raphelson was a mentor to many faculty over the years and he chaired the Psychology Department from 1966 to 1975. He held the David M. French Professorship from 1979-1981 in recognition of his outstanding scholarly record and received the Michigan Association of Governing Boards of State Universities Distinguished Faculty Award in 1989.
Former psychology colleague, Dr. Harriet Wall, said of Dr. Raphelson, “He was a wonderful friend and a very great man who influenced multiple generations of students and colleagues with his kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for a life of inquiry and service to others.” Dr. Silverman echoed these sentiments, stating, “Al set a standard of dedication to both our institution and his students that was unmatched. A true Humanist, he valued and respected his students such that he developed relationships with them that survived long after their matriculation.”
The University of Michigan-Flint owes a deep debt of gratitude to Dr. Raphelson for his immeasurable contributions to our institution. Please join me in sharing our gratitude and deepest condolences with Al’s wife of 61 years, Jackie (the head of the Flint College library in the 1950’s), and his two sons, Jeffrey and Michael.
The family has decided not to hold a funeral or memorial service but would be grateful if those wishing to honor Dr. Raphelson would make donations to the University of Michigan-Flint Psychology Department's "Alfred C. Raphelson Prize" fund. Checks should be made payable to the University of Michigan-Flint and mailed to the UM-Flint Office of University Advancement, 432 N. Saginaw Street, Ste. 1001, Flint, MI 48502. For more information about the fund, please contact 810.424.5448.
Sincerely,
Susan
Susan Gano-Phillips
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Psychology
University of Michigan – Flint
Department of Psychology Psychology is the branch of knowledge concerned with the study of behavior and mental processes.
