Harriette Pipes McAdoo

Harriette Pipes McAdoo, Ph.D. Okemos Dr. Harriette Pipes McAdoo was born March 15, 1940. The daughter of Dr. William and Anna Pipes, she died unexpectedly December 21, 2009. A renowned scholar, she was a Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Dr. McAdoo attended high school at Central in Detroit, Michigan, and Paul Laurence Dunbar in Little Rock, Arkansas. She received her B.A. and M.A. from MSU, and the Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Psychology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; crossing the stage with her late husband John Lewis McAdoo. She conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University. She spent summers as a Visiting Lecturer at Smith College and was a Visiting Professor at the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota. She was a Professor and Acting Dean at Howard University, School of Social Work, in Washington, D.C. for 21 years before going to MSU. Dr. McAdoo sat on many national committees, and acted as National Advisor to President Carter for the White House Conference on Families. She was the author of benchmark scholarly works, and conducted groundbreaking research projects that pioneered the positive study of Black Families in America. A prolific scholar, she has an abundance of publications both national and international. Dr. McAdoo was preceded in death by her parents; husband of 32 years, Dr. John Lewis McAdoo; her brother, Bill Pipes; and her brother-in-law, Paul Ewing. She is survived by her children, Michael Garnett McAdoo (Wanda) of Antioch, CA, John Lewis McAdoo, III (Marsu) of Lansing, Julia McAdoo of Los Angeles and Okemos, and David Harrison Pipes McAdoo of Washington, D.C.; five grandchildren; her sister Willetta Pipes Ewing of Lansing, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Dr. McAdoo comes from generations of educators dedicated to family, profession, and community; including the Russells and Tuckers of Louisville, and the Pipes of Lansing. These included past Presidents of Alcorn State College, West Kentucky Vocational Training School, and West Kentucky State College; as well as the Dean of Women at Livingstone College. Dr. McAdoo was a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc. She loved music, sang in the MSU Choral Union for 18 years, the Earl Nelson Singers for two, and All Souls Church Choir. Her love of travel and multicultural study led her around the world. She conducted research in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Kenya. She was a member of Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, Red Cedar Friends Meeting in East Lansing, and All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, D.C. She was a member and officer of numerous National Organizations including NCFR, ABPsi, Groves, APA, ASA, SRCD, and Empirical Black Psychology among others. She was a mentor, educator, pioneer, leader; and was much beloved by the many whose lives she touched so deeply, they too, were her family. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. in the MSU Alumni Chapel, Auditorium Rd., East Lansing, Michigan. The family will receive friends Monday, from 2:00 to 4:00, and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, Michigan. Contributions may be made to the Pipes McAdoo Endowment Fund at MSU. Please use the code AE0051, memo "gift in her memory," and mail to Michigan State University, 300 Spartan Way, East Lansing, MI 48824. This endowment honors her father and her husband, in her own words, "This is my way to encourage and enable the best, and to honor people I love." Come celebrate her life with us. Online condolences may be made at www.gorslineruncimanfuneralhomes.com