co-edited the first major work that summarized approaches to family therapy, the ... He married his college sweetheart, Geraldine (Gerri). Kalfus in 1968, who ...
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Alan S. Gurman (1945–2013) Alan S. Gurman, one of the most distinguished and influential family psychologists of our day, was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, May 26, 1945, and died in Madison, Wisconsin, September 6, 2013. He did his graduate training at Columbia University from 1967 to 1971. From 1973 to 2010 he was on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, becoming professor emeritus in 2006. Subsequently, he was a clinical professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin– Madison, a clinical professor of psychology at the Family Institute at Northwestern University, and a visiting professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The consummate editor and author, Al held many editorial posts. From 1980 to 1990, he edited the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. He authored or edited close to 20 books. All of his academic contributions were rigorous and insightful, reflecting a remarkable clarity of mind. He was gifted at synthesizing large bodies of literature into precise integrative reviews. Intelligent and open-minded, he had a thirst for knowledge and an unquenchable curiosity about all things related to family psychology and couple and family therapy. Al can be credited with moving couple and family therapy from a collection of approaches to a field of study. He pioneered bringing science to practice and in doing so brought credibility to couple and family therapy to those outside the field. He was the lead author on the first three major reviews of the research assessing couple and family therapy. Al also co-edited the first major work that summarized approaches to family therapy, the Handbook of Family Therapy (1981); edited the definitive catalog of approaches to couple therapy, the Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy (4th ed., 2008); and co-edited a much-utilized volume summarizing approaches to psychotherapy, Essential Psychotherapies (3rd ed., 2013). In his writing, Al masterfully combined being inclusive and integrative with being outspoken about directions he viewed as mistaken. His work on psychotherapy integration prodded our field to reach beyond our models and boundaries to embrace a broader, more inclusive, and less personally identified psychotherapeutic stance. Board-certified in couple and family psychology, he was a talented clinician who influenced the lives of his psychotherapy trainees and the individuals, couples, and families with whom he worked. Al inculcated in his trainees a love for working with couples and for growing as a person while helping couples to flourish. He encouraged his students to use their heads and hearts in doing couples therapy. A devoted educator, he loved teaching. Al was a generous colleague and offered wonderful opportunities to his students and junior colleagues. He never sought glory for himself. He was a wonderful role model and served as a true mentor for many people over the generations. Al influenced the lives of countless students and supervisees, including Nadine Kaslow, Bob Neimeyer, and David Sbarra. This bril-
July–August 2014 ● American Psychologist © 2014 American Psychological Association 0003-066X/14/$12.00 Vol. 69, No. 5, 553 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036919
liant theoretician’s closest colleagues in terms of his scholarly endeavors included Neil Jacobson, David Kniskern, Simon Budman, Jay Lebow, Stanley Messer, Michael Hoyt, Jill Harkaway, Bruce Wampold, Marjorie Klein, and David Rice. Al was a fellow of Divisions 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology), 29 (Psychotherapy), and 43 (Society for Family Psychology) of the American Psychological Association; served on the board of directors of the Family Process Institute, the Society for Family Psychology, and the American Family Therapy Academy; and was president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research. His many awards included the Excellence in Internship Training Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teaching and Training from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers; the Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology Award from the Society for Family Psychology; the Cumulative Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Research Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; and the Distinguished Achievement in Family Therapy Research Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. In August 2013, just weeks before his unexpected death, the family psychology community honored Al with the Family Psychologist of the Year award from the Society for Family Psychology. What was most noteworthy about Al were his qualities as a human being. The outpouring of reflections on the Division 43 listserv after his death highlighted that for Al, relationships were central. Universally liked, loved, and respected, Al possessed a sense of humor and a joie de vivre that endeared him to colleagues, students, and friends. Down to earth, genuine, and trustworthy, he was fair in his interpersonal dealings. Passionate and compassionate in all his endeavors, Al loved to coach soccer, practice yoga, and garden. He held a National Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was a licensed coach through the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Al loved his family deeply. He married his college sweetheart, Geraldine (Gerri) Kalfus in 1968, who was by his side, holding his hand, in the hospital as his heart gave out. He is also survived by their two wonderful children, Jesse and Ted; his daughter-in-law, Tory; and his precious grandson, Benny. Al was a great friend and a guiding light to many of us. Although greatly saddened by his passing, we have been enormously enriched and enlightened by the gifts he left us. Nadine J. Kaslow Emory University Roseanne Clark University of Wisconsin–Madison Jay L. Lebow Northwestern University
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