Jules C. Abrams, age 92, passed away on 4/8/20, peacefully at home with his daughter Nancy by his side.
Dr. Abrams was the third of four children born to Abraham and Sara Abrams on June 4, 1927. He grew
up in his beloved city of Philadelphia, PA and attended Southern High before going on to enlist in the
Coast Guard at the age of 17. He frequently noted that World War 2 came to an end six months after his
enlistment, and boasted to his children and grandchildren that it was because the Axis' forces were
frightened of him. He went on to get a Bachelors and Doctorate from Temple University. While at
Temple, he met a smart and beautiful undergraduate named Ellen Shuman. He proposed to her within
weeks and they married in 1955. Their wonderful marriage lasted 55 years before Ellen passed away in
2010.
His time at Temple was the start of an incredibly productive and rich career as a clinical psychologist,
psychoanalyst, and perhaps most importantly, mentor and leader to generations of psychologists in the
Philadelphia area. He was a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology, Professor Emeritus at the Institute for
Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University. He was the founder of the Doctor of Psychology
which was originally located at Hahnemann Medical College. The Psy.D. program initiated at
Hahnemann was the first Psy.D. program in a medical setting in the US. In 1989, he successfully
transitioned the entire program, including support staff, to Widener University, where it has flourished
since. In addition to leading the program as a beloved mentor and colleague, he developed a reputation
as an admired teacher of psychodynamic theory, child psychopathology, and learning disabilities. Dr.
Abrams also spent time in his career teaching at Johns Hopkins University and Temple University. He
was also on the faculty of the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies at the Albert Einstein Medical Center,
the Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology, and the Association for Child Psychoanalysis.
Over the course of his career, he received numerous awards including the Award for Service to
Psychoanalysis from the Division of Psychoanalysis of the APA and the Annual Award for Distinguished
Leadership for the Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology. He served as President of the
National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, the Multidisciplinary Academy of
Clinical Education, the College Reading Association, and the Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychology.
In addition to his professional interests , Dr. Abrams was an avid Philadelphia sports fan. He saw his
beloved Eagles win the 1960 NFL championship, and then waited 58 years to see them win Super Bowl
LII. For years he had season tickets to their games at Franklin Field and the Vet. He indoctrinated all of
his children to follow suit, and this tradition was passed down to all of his grandchildren. Texting during
Eagles, Sixers, or Temple University games between Dr. Abrams and his children and grandchildren
became a tradition like no other.
Dr. Abrams, or affectionately Zayde, to his grandchildren became a role model for his children and
grandchildren on how to be fully and playfully present at all times. His grandchildren, Jenna Abrams,
Samantha Cook, Jake Abrams, Peter Cook, Ali Greenberg, Zach Greenberg , and Leo Abrams loved
hanging out with their Zayde who took great interest in their lives from the time they were babies
through the present when they were finding life partners and establishing careers.
Dr. Abrams was preceded in death by his parents Abraham and Sara Abrams, his sister, Jeanette Mann,
older brother, Joseph Abrams and younger brother Irving Abrams. He is survived by his children and
their spouses, Richard Abrams and Jan Schaeffer (Los Angeles, CA), Robbi and Scott Cook (Berkeley,
CA), Larry and Tracey Abrams (Sharon, MA), Nancy and Marc Greenberg (Ambler, PA) and many beloved
nieces and nephews. He will be missed desperately by all of them.
Funeral services were held privately. A memorial service is being planned for the Spring of 2021. In lieu
of flowers, donations can be made to The Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener
University.
