Irving E. Alexander Papers, 1940-2006

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Summary

Creator:
Alexander, Irving E.
Abstract:
Irving E. Alexander (1922-2007) was a clinical psychologist and professor in Duke University's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience for 45 years. He served as department chair, taught and counseled undergraduates, trained clinicians, treated patients, served on Duke's Academic Council, was a consulting psychologist at the Durham VA Hospital and in the Halifax County (North Carolina.) school system, and was a consultant to programs for gifted children including the Presidential Scholars program. Types of materials include reading lists, notes, lectures, outlines, clippings, articles, slides, photographs, negatives, programs, correspondence, dream journals, agendas, schedules, membership lists, speeches, meeting minutes, and grant proposals. Materials range in date from 1940 to 2006.
Extent:
4.5 Linear Feet (3 cartons)
Language:
English
Collection ID:
MC.0096

Background

Scope and content:

Contains the personal and professional papers of Irving Alexander, a clinical psychologist and professor in Duke University's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Types of materials include reading lists, notes, lectures, outlines, clippings, articles, slides, photographs, negatives, slides, programs, correspondence, dream journals, agendas, schedules, membership lists, speeches, meeting minutes, and grant proposals. Materials range in date from 1940 to 2006.

Biographical / historical:

Irving Emanuel Alexander was born in 1922 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Al Alexander and Mary Nisenson. In 1940, Alexander began attending the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. During WWII, he served in the Army Air Corps as a bombardier, completing 35 missions over Germany before being discharged in March 1945 with the rank of second lieutenant.
After completing his interrupted undergraduate education at Tuscaloosa, he obtained a master's degree in experimental psychology. In 1947, he began graduate studies in psychology at Princeton University, and, by 1949, had completed both a second masters and a PhD. His dissertation, about the relationship between tonal stimulation and hearing loss, led in part to the now-standard requirement for airfield work personnel to wear protective ear-gear.
Alexander became an associate professor at Princeton and spent part of his first sabbatical from 1955 to 1956 at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1958, he began an administrative position at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and, in 1962, was offered a professorship in Duke University's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and worked as a clinical psychologist.
During his 45 years at Duke, Alexander served as department chair, participated on the Academic Council, trained clinicians, and worked as a consulting psychologist at the Durham VA Hospital and in the Halifax County school system. Alexander worked as a visiting professor at Harvard (1966-1967), and Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1971, 1977-1978), and Tel Aviv University (1973).
Alexander was a member of the American Psychological Association, chairman of the Presidential Scholars Selection Committee during the Clinton administration, and a co-founder of the Society for Personology, which honored him with a lifetime achievement award in 2003.
In 1955, while Alexander was president of the organization, the American Association for Gifted Children (AAGC) received the Jimmy Carter Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Association.
He married Miriam Pearl Fisher in 1944, and they had two children. Alexander died on January 3, 2007.

Acquisition information:
Accession A2007.057 (gift by Irving E. Alexander, June 2007), Accession A2008.031 (gift by Irving E. Alexander, May 2008)
Processing information:

Processed by Brian Goforth: July 2008; encoded by Brian Goforth: July 2008

Arrangement:
Organized into the following series: Slides and Photographs, 1940-2000; Personal Documents and Items, 1943 to 1999; Correspondence, 1947-2006; Articles and Papers, 1947-2006; Notes, 1946-1993; Professional Organizations, 1982-2003; Lecture Materials, 1952-2000; Research Data, 1959-1994.
Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Duke University Medical Center Library's online catalog.

Contents

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Restrictions:

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals or IRB approval may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which Duke University assumes no responsibility.
Collection contains materials restricted at the folder level, in accordance with Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Personal Documents and Items Series must be screened for fragile and sensitive or confidential materials before being accessed.
The Lecture Materials Series and Research Data Series must be screened for sensitive or confidential materials before being accessed.
For further information consult with the Medical Center Archivist.

Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Irving E. Alexander Papers, Duke University Medical Center Archives.