Reesa Mae Vaughter

Reesa Mae Vaughter (October 24, 1940 - July 21, 2025) was a force of nature - brilliant, funny, tenacious, creative and consummately generous. She is survived by her partner of 46 years, Zola Golub; her daughter and son-in-law, Sarit and David Greenberg, and her grandson, Aaron Greenberg. She is also survived by her dear sister, Nelda McGraw.

Born in Knox City, Texas in 1940, Reesa was the youngest of three children of a school superintendent and a first-grade teacher. She was a pioneering developmental psychologist and feminist, receiving her PhD in four years (in 1967) and returning to school to earn a JD in 1985 to connect her psychology research with her social justice and advocacy interests.

As a Professor at Fordham University, Rose Hill, she organized the first women's association of faculty and graduate students and chaired an American Psychological Association (APA) committee tasked with "breaking down barriers" to increased inclusion of women in psychological science and research. Together with her colleagues, Reesa conceived and organized the first APA "Open Symposium," an innovative, feminist format for the publication of empirical research, which was inaugurated at the 1977 APA Convention in San Francisco. As she wrote in the psychology journal Signs in 1976: "There is nothing new about women being psychologists. What is revolutionary is the force of women in psychology and in the psychology of women to change the structure of the belief system of science to construct a psychology of human behavior."

Post-retirement, Reesa spent countless hours volunteering at Habitat for Humanity (where she rose to the level of Crew Leader), the Children's Defense Fund, the Bronx Children's Museum, and as a tutor of both ESL and school children through the Bronx Public Library. An avid musician (flautist, drummer, guitarist), Reesa might have been a conductor, had the times allowed women to pursue this profession. She was a lifelong learner with boundless interests and talents ranging from American Sign Language to Tennis (she earned an amateur ranking of 4.5 in her late 50s).

Reesa was an endlessly generous soul, with a strength of character and a tenacity of will that took our breath away. She overcame tremendous physical adversity and was always trying to "get better," which for her meant physical rehabilitation, learning new information or skills (she approached every book with a highlighter and a pencil), or finding out and remembering things that the people in her life cared most about (she kept lists of loved ones' favorite sports teams, foods, and interests). She was constantly considering what the people in her life might like or need or want, and made creative and thoughtful (and sometimes outrageous) efforts to provide these to them.

The central and deepest love in Reesa's life was for Zola, her life partner for 46 years. Zola and Reesa created their own "Weaving" ceremony in 1985, honoring their choice and commitment to weave their lives fully together, and acknowledging the ways in which their larger community provided the threads that supported and strengthened their tapestry. After gay marriage was legalized, Reesa and Zola renewed their vows in a wedding ceremony on May 17, 2014. Reesa approached parenting as a sacred responsibility and gift, meeting her daughter with intention, integrity, curiosity, and respect, at every age. She brought this same focus to her grandson, who was blessed to have her as a twice-weekly caregiver, teacher, and playmate throughout his childhood.

Reesa had a supreme compassion and genuine interest in her fellow human beings; she spoke to everyone she encountered with respect, attention, and awareness of their inherent personhood and dignity.

We will carry the gifts she has given us for the rest of our lives.