Albert Hastorf III

Albert H. Hastorf III Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former head of the Psychology Department, former Dean of the School of Humanities & Sciences, followed by Provost. Hastorf joined Stanford's faculty in 1961 and retired in 1990. Professor Hastorf died on September 26 at the age of 90. Hastorf was born in New York City and raised in Westfield, N.J. He earned a Bachelor's degree in History at Amherst College in 1942. There he met Barbara Reck, a student at Mount Holyoke College. They married in 1943. From 1942-1946 he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Hastorf earned a Masters and a Doctorate in Psychology at Princeton in 1949. Hastorf began his teaching career at Dartmouth College in 1948. He was invited to be a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford during its first year, 1954. In 1958 as National Science Foundation Fellow in Residence, Al returned to Stanford for one year. At Dartmouth, Hastorf rose through the professorial ranks, becoming professor and chairman of the Psychology Department in 1955. Professor Hastorf joined the faculty at Stanford where he served as executive head of the Psychology Department between 1961-1970. He was one of the early faculty members to teach in Stanford Overseas Programs both in Austria and England, always accompanied by his wife. He regularly taught in the Graduate School of Business seminars around the world. In 1979 he was appointed the Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor of Human Biology, and was one of the founding directors and lecturers of Stanford's Interdisciplinary Program in Human Biology. Later he also initiated its Center for the Study of Youth and Development. He served as Dean of the School of Humanities & Sciences from 1970-1974, and as Provost from 1980-1984. In 1987, Hastorf became the 15th recipient of the Stanford Alumni Association's Richard W. Lyman Award, which recognizes unique and dedicated service to the university. Hastorf was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. During the 1980s, he was on the Board of Directors for both Thatcher School in Ojai, California and the Nueva School in Hillsborough. Al is remembered as thoughtful and wise, a fabulous raconteur, a devoted citizen of Stanford, and a loving husband and father. His life long love was fly-fishing, which he enjoyed and shared with his family and friends. Hastorf was once described as a "tough-minded scientist" and a "tender-minded friend" who would always "pack his book on social cognition along with his fishing rods". In addition to his wife of 68 years, Barbara, he is survived by daughters, Elizabeth Hastorf of Seattle, Washington, Christine Hastorf of Berkeley, California, a grandson, Nicholas and sister Jean Doar. Hastorf was preceded in death by another grandson, Kyle. His memorial service will be on October 26, 2011 at 3:30 PM at the Stanford Memorial Church with a reception to follow at the Stanford Faculty Club.