Julian B. Rotter

1916 - 2014

Julian B. Rotter obituary, 1916-2014, Hartford, CT

Julian B. Rotter

1916 - 2014

Julian Rotter Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jan. 14, 2014.


Julian B. Rotter, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Connecticut, died in his home on January 6, 2014. He was 97 years old. He is survived by his wife Doffie Hochreich Rotter, his daughter Jean Rotter, and his older brother Saul Rotter, M.D. Jules, as he was known to his family, friends and colleagues, was predeceased by his first wife Clara E. Barnes Rotter, his son Richard, and Jules' brother Norman Rotter. Jules was born on October 22, 1916 In Brooklyn, N.Y. to Abraham Rotter and Bessie Goldstein Rotter. He attended primary and secondary school in that borough and received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Brooklyn College. His formal education proceeded at the University of Iowa where he received a Master's degree in Psychology and culminated with a Ph.D. in Psychology from Indiana University. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and married Clara Rotter in 1941. His daughter Jean was born in 1947 and his son Richard was born in 1949. His academic career began at Ohio State University whose Psychology faculty he joined in1949. He rapidly rose to the rank of Full Professor and directed the Clinical Psychology graduate program for nine years. In 1963 he joined the Psychology faculty of the University of Connecticut and directed it's Clinical program until his retirement in 1987. During his years at Connecticut Clara Rotter died in 1985 and he married his friend and colleague Doffie in 1997. Professor Rotter's career was extraordinarily productive, so much so that he has been identified as one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century by the American Psychological Association and by the BBC which included him in a series they called the "Mind Changers". He wrote many scholarly articles, produced three widely used measurement scales, and a ground-breaking book "Social Learning and Clinical Psychology." His works were widely cited and he mentored over 100 graduate students most of whom became highly competent academics or clinical practitioners. He taught those students the importance of grounding theory and practice in carefully controlled experimentation, a lesson which was sorely needed in the early and mid twentieth century, an era when speculation was often substituted for science. Among his many honors were the APA's Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award and an Honorary Doctorate from the Ohio State University. As impressive as was Jules' professional career, his qualities as a human being were even greater. He was insightful, empathetic, compassionate, and possessed an admirable social conscience. The word " mensh" has crept from Yiddish into the vernacular. Leo Rosten in his "Joys of Yiddish" offers three definitions: 1. human being, 2. an upright, honorable, decent person and, 3. someone of consequence; someone to admire; someone of noble character. Jules was all of these. He was a Mensh. No funeral services are planned. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. for the Julian B. Rotter Fund for Graduate Education in the Psychology Department, 215 Glenbrook Road Unit 4098, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4098. Alternatively , contributions may be made to any of the following: American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc., Planned Parent Federation of America, Inc., or Doctors without Borders, Inc.

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Sign Julian Rotter's Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

January 27, 2015

sharon cochs posted to the memorial.

December 13, 2014

David Wheeler posted to the memorial.

September 18, 2014

Lyra MAy Refuerzo posted to the memorial.

sharon cochs

January 27, 2015

RIP in pepperoni

David Wheeler

December 13, 2014

Those of us who were privileged to study under Dr. Rotter will always remember him with a great deal of fondness and more than a little awe.

Lyra MAy Refuerzo

September 18, 2014

i just read about your the your theory, and i am so amazed about your ideas, I hope I will present it good in my class,

R.I.P

gitahi kanyeki

July 25, 2014

A wonderful psychologist

Gitahi Kanyeki

March 19, 2014

I recall Professor Rotter with fondness for the helpful man he was and awe at his insightful yet methodical mind. He may not have claimed me as an advisee or mentee during my UConn years but he was certainly a mentor to me! Don Round, PhD

March 12, 2014

Thank you Jules. You were more than a mentor to me. Much love, Reaume Carroll Mulry, Ph.D.

Mark Sherman

February 23, 2014

My condolences to the family of Dr. Rotter and especially to his wife, Doffie, with whom my own graduate career at UCONN overlapped. Julian was one of those rare people who routinely made those around him better than they thought they could ever be. He was a "Master" professor whose style if instruction was as important as the content, and who thereby provided me with a model that served as the basis for my own academic career.

Carrie Bulger

February 18, 2014

I had Dr. Rotter for Test Construction as a graduate student in the late '90s. What a great teacher, great scholar and funny guy. My students are delighted when I tell them that one of my teachers is the guy cited in their textbook! My sympathy to the family.

Larry Levine

February 18, 2014

Jules was an enormous influence on both my thinking about Psychology and my own style of classroom teaching. He was a professor in the true sense of the word. He professed! There was little doubt about where he stood on basic issues but he always supported his views wih logic and with data.

Although I was not one of his graduate students, the two courses I took with him remain memorable.

On a personal level, he personified the label "mentsch"

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Sign Julian Rotter's Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

January 27, 2015

sharon cochs posted to the memorial.

December 13, 2014

David Wheeler posted to the memorial.

September 18, 2014

Lyra MAy Refuerzo posted to the memorial.