Bertram H. Raven

1926 - 2020 Professor Emeritus Bertram H. Raven Ph.D. died peacefully at home on February 26, 2020 surrounded by his beloved wife Celia and his children Michelle and Jonathan.  Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was the youngest of 6 children who remained close throughout their lives: sisters Clara, Anne, Min, Frances and brother Jay. He served in the infantry at the end of World War II, received a B.A. in Psychology from Ohio State University in 1948 and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Michigan in 1953. In 1956 he joined the UCLA faculty as one of 3 faculty members in Social Psychology and played a key leadership role in developing that area. Later he was instrumental in initiating a sub-specialty in Health Psychology, now nationally renowned. He served in many other roles at UCLA, including Director of the Survey Research Center and most notably as Chair of the Psychology Department from 1983 to 1988. In retirement he remained active in the Emeriti Association. He loved his Bruin family and until recently continued to derive pleasure walking the campus greeting students. He served as a visiting professor at the University of Nijmegan, Netherlands; Hebrew University in Jerusalem; London School of Economics; University of Washington; University of Hawaii; and the University of West Indies. He served as President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and Editor of the Journal of Social Issues, reflecting his life-long commitment to social justice. He was perhaps best known for his theoretical work with J. R. P. French on the Bases of Social Power, which he developed and applied in numerous contexts. He wrote and was published extensively in many languages on small group dynamics and applied that knowledge to hospital, close relationship and educational settings. Historical analyses have applied his model to political and religious figures in the study of different social power mechanisms leaders use over others. For his contributions he received awards and recognition as a Fulbright Scholar, NATO Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, NIMH Fellow and Kurt Lewin Awardee. He received a Los Angeles City Council Resolution from LA Mayor Tom Bradley for developing the UCLA Upward Bound Project to increase student body diversity at UCLA. As a person Bert was a gentle and extraordinarily decent man, principled but not moralistic. A devoted family man, the love he shared with his wife and children was heart- warming. Professor Raven is survived by wife Celia, daughter Michelle, son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Jennifer and grandchildren Zoe, Brennan and Dylan. While his contributions and influence live on he will be deeply missed by many.