Logan Wright

Logan Wright Jr. (6 December 1933 – 18 December 1999) was an American

Biography

Early life

Wright was born in

After an internship at the University of North Carolina, he joined the faculty at Purdue University and remained there until 1966. He left Purdue for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), where he served as associate professor and professor of pediatric psychology. Psychologist Diane Willis wrote that Wright "put pediatric psychology on the map" while at OUHSC.^[1] Wright worked with George Albee, president of the APA Section on Clinical Child Psychology, to evaluate the impact of having psychologists in the pediatric setting in 1967. He led an APA committee that identified 250 psychologists interested in pediatric work. This led to the formation of the SPP in 1968.^[2]

In addition to coining the term pediatric psychology,

In 1984, Wright returned to academia as a psychology professor at the University of Oklahoma.^[1] Wright served as APA president in 1986. That year, three years after he had heart surgery, he also set a world age record for a 52-year-old in the 200-meter hurdles. Wright was involved in the controversial divide between the APA's scientists and practitioners in the mid-1980s. He helped psychology's scientists split off from the APA and form the APS. Past APA president and friend Ron Fox said that Wright had alienated some psychology practitioners, commenting, "We sent him to referee between practitioners and scientists and he joined the scientists."^[5]

Later life

In 1993, Wright founded the North American Association of Masters in Psychology, an organization that advocates for psychologists who are trained at the master's level.^[6] Wright was named professor emeritus at Oklahoma in 1995.^[1] He died of a heart attack on his ranch in Norman, Oklahoma in 1999.^[5] After his death, the SPP's Distinguished Research Contribution in Pediatric Psychology Award was renamed the Logan Wright Distinguished Research Award.^[4]

References