Daphne Bugental Obituary

After a long and productive life, Daphne Bugental passed away from pneumonia on November 25, 2018.

Daphne was born in Santa Barbara January 31, 1928. After graduating from Santa Barbara High School and a brief time living in Portland, Oregon, she moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she earned B.A. in 1952 and then her Ph.D. in social psychology in 1964. She served as an adjunct professor at UCLA until returning to the Santa Barbara area in 1974 to join the faculty of UCSB. Her research encompassed human interactions of all kinds, focusing particularly on parent-child relationships. Daphne?s landmark scientific contributions led to significant reductions in child abuse. While she formally retired in 2011, she continued to teach seminars and write research papers for several more years.

In addition to her scientific and social contributions, Daphne served in many roles at UCSB, including Chair of the Psychology Department and Chair of numerous Academic Senate committees. Bringing together faculty across several departments, she founded the Interdisciplinary Human Development Emphasis. She authored and obtained passage for the faculty parental leave policy for the entire University of California System.

Daphne was honored with the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Kurt Lewin Award, the Santa Barbara County Health "Researcher of the Decade" in 1997, and the 1996 UC Presidential Award for fostering Excellence in Undergraduate Research. For these accomplishments and contributions, she earned the vast appreciation of her colleagues, students, and the UC community.

Daphne is survived by her sons Rick Bugental and Scott Williams Bugental, her daughters-in-law Leah-Ann Williams Bugental and Sandy Gibson Smith, and grandson Jacob Smith. She is predeceased by her brother Frank Blunt, sisters Kathleen Blunt and Grace Cooper, and son Michael Smith.

A Celebration of Life for Daphne will be held at Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapel at 15 East Sola Street, Santa Barbara, on Saturday, December 8, starting at 10 a.m. Viewing will be at the Welch-Ryce-Haider Chapel in Goleta (450 Ward Drive) from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, December 7, and at the Santa Barbara location Saturday December 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Remembrances may be shared at

https://www.wrhsb.com/obituaries/Daphne-Bugental/.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations in Daphne's name to CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation; http://calm4kids.org/) or to UNICEF

(https://www.unicef.org/ ).

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Santa Barbara News-Press from Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Daphne Bugental

3 Entries

Joan Grusec

December 10, 2018

Daphne was a close friend and an esteemed colleague. At Daphnes suggestion Bob Lockhart and I had our first Santa Barbara sabbatical in the early 90s. Daphne found us a house in downtown Santa Barbara, found us office space at UCSB, and was a perfect host throughout our stay. The sabbatical was such a great experience that we continued to return to Santa Barbara, finally buying a condo there. Visits became even more frequent after Bob and I retired, with Daphne always an important and welcoming figure in those visits. There were lots of lunches and dinners and movies and even a trip to Spain, all of which provided special and warm memories.

Another important feature of the times in Santa Barbara was Daphnes making me a welcome part of her lab meetings. There I saw how much she cared for her graduate students and what a superb mentor she was. It was impressive to note how Daphnes interests and ideas developed from one year to the next, albeit with a constant basic concern for both theory and practical application (a child abuse intervention, a great book on thriving in people with medical or physical challenges, an analysis of how discrimination on the basis of age impacts older individuals social and cognitive functioning). At the same time, Daphne generously provided me with a place to talk about my own recent research interests and to obtain useful feedback.

Daphne was a truly kind and generous person in all aspects of her life. She loved her family, her friends, her house, her garden, and her animals. I will miss her very much.

Joan Grusec

Charlotte Johnston

December 10, 2018

My condolences. Daphne was a wonderful mentor to me early in my career - wise, kind, and fun! She made an incredible contribution to family psychology.

December 10, 2018

I'm so sorry for your loss. As you remember your love one, may Almighty God and your treasured memories comfort your broken hearts. (Psalm 147:3)

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