Frederick Rhodewalt

1949 ~ 2011

Frederick Rhodewalt died August 19, 2011, at his home. Fred was born March 23, 1949 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to Thomas W. Rhodewalt and Loretta Bahler Rhodewalt. He married Elaine Soliwoda on May 17, 1975.
Fred grew up in Oxford, Pennsylvania where he was president of his 1967 high school class. After working for the Pennsylvania Highway Department as a nuclear technician, he returned to college and graduated from Lincoln University in 1975. He earned a Ph.D. in social psychology from Princeton University in 1979.
In 1980, he accepted a job as an assistant professor at the University of Utah in the Psychology Department, where he was subsequently promoted to Associate and Full Professor. During this time, he served as Associate Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, chair of the Sociology Department, and Associate Dean of the Graduate School. He published extensively, and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Div. 8 of the American Psychological Association, and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology. He received the Senior Superior Research Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. In addition, he was a beloved teacher and mentor, and made extensive contributions to the field, receiving the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Award for Distinguished Service to the Fields of Personality and Social Psychology.
He is survived by his wife, Elaine; children, Stefan and Lauren; mother, Loretta; brother, Don; sister, Karen (Thom) Olivieri; niece, Elena; extended family and friends, and beloved dogs Lucy and Miles. Fred was preceded in death by his father, Thomas; aunt, Carol Weller; and cousin/best friend Ken Weller.
Friends are invited to celebrate Fred's life on Friday, September 9th at 4:00 p.m. at Wasatch Presbyterian Church, 17th South and 17th East, Salt Lake City. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Utah Psychology Department, which will be earmarked for graduate student scholarships.
Dad- we will always remember you through some of your favorite things: Old English Sheepdogs and sports cars, Princeton and the U of U, Deer Valley and Solitude, good scotch and good jazz, Glenmoor and Tanglewood, Thirsty Thursdays and Chicago Dogs, the Phils and the Eagles, Wimbledon and The Masters, and Pennsylvania countryside and all things Australia. But mostly we will remember everything about you, because you were our world. All of our love- Lauren and Stefan.
Condolences can be sent to the family at www.premierfuneral.com.