David A. Wexler

WEXLER, David A.-- Psychologist, Teacher, Musician. Born January 7, 1946 in New York, NY. Died February 2, 2002 in Menlo Park.
Survived by his wife Kathryn Hargrove and daughter Eva Wexler of San Francisco. His mother Grace Wexler of Boca Raton, Florida. His sister Amy Levin of Springfield, Illinois and nephew Nick Orum of Mill Valley.
For more than a quarter of a century, thousands of Bay Area residents have been directly and indirectly touched by the wisdom and psychological intuition of Menlo Park therapist David Wexler. In his capacity as a clinical professor at Stanford University Medical School, Dr. Wexler provided supervision and training for hundreds of psychiatrists and psychologists. As a licensed psychologist he has helped and guided many people through difficult times.
Originally from the Bronx, Dr. Wexler received a B.A. degree in Anthropology in 1967 and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1971 from the University of Chicago. He was influenced by Carl Rogers, the resident pioneer of client-centered therapy at the University of Chicago, and published numerous articles in professional psychology journals, as well as co-edited Innovations in Client-Centered Therapy, in 1974. Dr. Wexler was an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University before moving to California to teach at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California , School of Medicine in San Francisco.
In 1975, he accepted a position as Section Chief for the Day Treatment Centers at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. In addition to administrative, program planning and development duties, Dr. Wexler was responsible for staff supervision and training of psychology interns and was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Vietnam Veterans in Washington, D.C. As a member of the Santa Clara County Psychological Association, Dr. Wexler served in various capacities, including President in 1979.
Dr. Wexler opened a private practice in Menlo Park in 1976 and also began training psychiatry residents at Stanford University. He left the VA in 1985 to devote full time to his thriving private practice. As a teacher, supervisor, and therapist Dr. Wexler's intelligence and keen insight was conveyed with warmth and empathy.
Dr. Wexler was also an accomplished musician favoring traditional blues, which he played on his collection of vintage guitars and banjos. As an undergraduate, he was president of the 1966 University of Chicago Folk Festival and was responsible for bringing traditional rural musicians to campus. He traveled extensively throughout the South to further develop his musical abilities, playing with Mississippi John Hurt, Lightnin' Hopkins, and other early blues musicians. In 1998, he fulfilled a long-term dream by recording a disc entitled ""In the Tradition.""
Dr. Wexler loved to travel and study foreign cultures. His early training in anthropology both reflected and heightened a life long interest in developing a deeper understanding of humanity. He was particularly fond of Asian cultures and returned from a trip to Cambodia and Thailand in January.
He was a much beloved husband and father, passionate about his family, photography, woodworking, nature, gourmet cooking and fine wine.
Memorial Services Thursday, February 7th, 10 a.m. Stanford Memorial Church, Stanford, CA. The family suggests memorial donations to the charity of your choice