David T. Lykken

Hard to believe it has been so many years. Still fond memories of the days in Diehl Hall (1966-1969 for me) in our Psychiary Research unit. Some of the writings and thought from back then still get cited, but beyond the learning there were many good times.

I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR OF UNCLE DAVIDS DEATH.I THINK HE LOVED MY AUNT HARRIET SO MUCH THAT LIFE WAS NEVER THE SAME FOR HIM.IM SO HAPPY HE GOT TO MEET MY FOUR BOYS LAST SPRING.ALL MY LOVE TO MY COUSINS.

David was my father's baby brother, the little one in the picture of the boys, but David was most admired and talked about by my father. I put them in contact with each other a couple weeks before dad died and they had a great conversation about Lykken history and Norway. I am sorry the last brother is gone, he will be missed.

I came under the influence of David Lykken when I arrived in Minneapolis from Sydney (Australia) and took up a Research Assistantship in David's lab in Diehl Hall in September 1967. Soon after arrival I was a guest in David and Harriet's home where David 'tested' my cultural credential by playing a recording and asking me if I knew who the singer was. I instantly replied 'Billie Holiday' and passed his test with flying colours. [I wish that I had done as well in all my tests in the Psychology...

Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss. It was a shock to hear of his passing less than a month after Dad's. David loved his children, their wives and his grandchildren and celebrated their diversity. He will be missed.

To say that I was a graduate student and research assistant of David Lykken's in the late 60's does no justice to the place he has played in my life. He was a mentor, someone who was always available for guidance and direction, and perhaps most importantly a source of great wisdom. While I pursued a clinical rather than academic career, and thus did not follow in his professional footsteps, I always felt (at least hoped) that his critical thinking combined with a sense of compassion and...

My favorite memory of my Uncle David is the refreshingly honest ending on his telephone message: “…leave your name and number and I might get back to you.” I never knew if he would return my call when I had occasion to leave a message—I wasn’t sure what criteria the message left would need to meet to qualify for a call back and I never did ask. But David always got back to me and, though he didn’t always give me the answer I wanted, always answered me wisely. Having just lost my own Dad...

We were sad to see Harriet's obituary last year and now, David's, this year. David was my advisor and I worked for him for seven years all together. The first stint was in the late 1960s with Gary Schoener, Mal Burdick, Ian Macinroe, Ralph Miller, Bob Strahan and many others. In 1970, I returned to work for him until 1974 when I decided that microbiology was a more suitable path for me.
He was a very kind man and the fact that he made me very anxious was more a reflection of my own...

I was David's research assistant in Psychiatry Research in Diehl Hall from 1966-1969, initially with Bob Strahan, Ralph Miller, & Connie Katzenmeir. Then with Mal Burdick, Ian MacIndoe, Wayne Karpan, Joanne Miller & Sylvia Rosen. We have many fond memories, both in the lab and socially, and felt that the experience was incomparable. Both he and Harriet were wonderful people and they live on in our memories. It was fascinating to see how that police raid got David to come over to Harriet's...