Charles Spielberger, RIP

I am sad to report that Dr. Charles Spielberger, author of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, passed away yesterday. We in the lab are indebted to Dr. Spielberger in more ways than I can mention. Without his measures, theories, considerable body of scholarship, and assistance over the years, much of our work on anger would not have been possible. He will be missed.

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Charles Donald Spielberger, PhD (born 1927) passed away June 11, 2013. Dr. Spielberger was a clinical and community psychologist best known for his work on personality and health. He was past president of the American Psychological Association and an emeritus member of the Psychology Department at the University of South Florida, where he served as Department Chair. Dr. Spielberger was a USF Distinguished Research Professor, the highest academic honor bestowed by the University. An internationally acclaimed scholar, he wrote over 460 professional publications. He was also a mentor to many graduate students, and provided gifts to the USF Foundation to support graduate students through scholarships. In recognition for his work, Dr. Spielberger received numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology and the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Application of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation. After his official retirement, he remained an active researcher, running the Center for Research in Behavioral Medicine & Health Psychology.

Before coming to USF, he taught at Vanderbilt University (1962-1967) and Florida State University (1967-1972). He also served as a visiting faculty at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. Dr. Spielberger served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1946 to 1979, retiring at the rank of Commander. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Spielberger is survived by his wife, Carol, and his son, Nicholas.

Prepared by Dr. Michael Brannick, Chair, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida