Jean Amspoker Spencer Ph.D.

JEAN AMSPOKER SPENCER, PhD, OTR, FAOTA Nov. 25, 1944 - Aug. 13, 2005 Jean Amspoker Spencer, professor and doctoral program coordinator for the School of Occupational Therapy at Texas Woman's University-Houston, died August 13, 2005. Jean was the beloved only child of David Merrill Amspoker and Frances Davidson Amspoker, and the granddaughter of Judge Freeman Crawford Davidson and Mary Edna Crawford Davidson. General Crawford, on her maternal side of the family fought with George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Born on November 25, 1944, in Hondo, Texas, Jean grew up in Emmetsburg, Iowa. As a child, Jean was a beautiful girl with golden curls, blue eyes and dimples and was loved by all who knew her. She had a Newfoundland dog named "Topsy" that she loved dearly. Topsy enjoyed outings and sailing with Jean; she was like a sibling to Jean, growing up with her. Jean adored her father. As a father-daughter project they built a flat boat and sailed, accompanied by Topsy. From her mother, Jean acquired her brilliant writing skill and love of art, as her mother read to her from early childhood and took her on regular visits to the Chicago Institute of Art. Growing up in Iowa, there was always music in the house and a floating bridge game going on. At Emmetsburg High School Jean scored the highest SAT score ever scored in the state of Iowa. She was selected as an outstanding student in the sciences and was invited to attend Rice University to study chemistry. However, she discovered she preferred the whole person rather than molecules, and so she completed her undergraduate degree in history and a doctorate in anthropology at Rice. In 1972, she joined TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) where she had a distinguished career in rehabilitation research and training. From 1972 to 1979, Jean served as director of the New Options Program, a nationally recognized model program designed to facilitate independent living by people with disabilities. In 1979, Jean became TIRR's director of education, where she developed many innovative training programs for rehabilitation professionals. Jean's many contributions to the field of rehabilitation and disability that impacted the lives of millions of people with disabilities in the United States and her service to TIRR will be long remembered. Jean married the great love of her life, Dr. William A. (Bill) Spencer, the founder of TIRR, in 1984. Their collective vision helped TIRR become what it is today. As a woman, Jean was gracious, modest and unassuming, and people who worked with her always recall her with great fondness. Her work at TIRR led her to pursue an education in occupational therapy, and she received a master's degree from TWU-Houston in1986 and not long after began a second career as an educator in the School of Occupational Therapy (OT) at Texas Woman's University (TWU)-Houston. Since that time, she has been continually involved with scholarly endeavors. She made numerous national and international presentations and alliances and is recognized as a research scholar, with an extensive list of publications and research projects to her credit. One of her most significant accomplishments at TWU came in her role as chair of the TWU OT-Doctoral Planning Committee. Soon after joining the OT faculty, she was asked to chair the work of the TWU OT-Doctoral Planning Committee. Jean led the development of the research doctorate in OT, making it the third such program in the nation. She chaired this monumental effort over several years with her customary grace and wit. The doctoral training program in OT was approved by the state and began in the Fall of 1993. Jean's scholarly work was instrumental in helping the TWU School of OT earn its top ten national ranking. Dr. Spencer received numerous awards including the Newsom Award and the Lyon Junior Faculty Award, both from TWU; the 42nd Coulter Memorial Lecturer award from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine; Academic Educator of the Year from the Texas Occupational Therapy Association, and recognition as a Fellow by the American Occupational Therapy Association. In recent decades, Jean continued her love of music, sailing, art, and nature. She and Bill spent every summer in Maine, where sailing was a major occupation. They both enjoyed chamber music very much and had season tickets at Kenisel Hall which supported and provided a summer training camp for top music students from different parts of the country. Her support of the arts included providing stained glass windows for a stone church by Jordan Pond in Maine. Jean loved nature; she was committed to preserve the environment and community through regular financial contributions to such agencies as the Wild Life Society and Friends of Acadia National Park. She also built and maintained a garden in Maine highlighted by lilacs, roses, rosemary, and other herbs. Jean is survived by her husband William A. Spencer, step-children Susan Spencer Tully and husband Christopher of Virginia, Bill Spencer Jr. and wife Bonnie of Hawaii, and step-grandchildren Rachel Helen Tully and Stephen Spencer Tully of Virginia. She is also survived by an aunt Carolyn Witt Davidson and cousins Myrna Lynn Davidson, Margaret "Peggie" Davidson Harvie and husband James, Charlotte Duggan Priest and husband Jimmy and son William Robert Priest all of Katy, Texas, Corrine B. Duggan and husband Robert of North Carolina, and Robert C. and Mary Stetson of California. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 21, 2005, at 2 p.m. at the Rice Memorial Chapel at Rice University, with reception following at Kelly Lounge. Dr. David Peterson from Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church will officiate. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made in Jean Spencer's name for development of scholarship endeavors to continue her legacy: Texas Woman's University School of Occupational Therapy Houston Campus Contact June Long 713-794-2128 Checks should be made payable to: "Friends of OT -in memory of Jean Spencer", TWU Institutional Development, P.O. Box 425618, Denton, TX 76204