Clyde's Corner
In Memory of Clyde J. Lindley
(1915-1999)
It is with great sadness that we report this will be the last appearance of Clyde's Corner in the ACN. On February 6, IPMAAC lost one of its original members and one of its staunchest supporters. At this time we would like to look back at Clyde's long career and the many contributions he made.
In 1938 Clyde received an M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa. He then began work on his doctorate in psychology at the University of Minnesota where he completed all work but the dissertation. Completion of his dissertation and the actual degree were interrupted by World War II. Clyde spent from 1941 - 1946 on active duty with the U.S. Army in assignments related to his background. He graduated from Command and General Staff School (U.S. Army, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas) and during his five years with the Army Clyde progressed in rank from 2nd Lieutenant to Major. (He later retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel.)
Clyde worked for the Veterans Administration central office from 1946 until 1975. During his long career at the VA he served as a counselor in the rehabilitation program and later for the Department of Medicine & Surgery. He coordinated a large multi-disciplinary group in the first double-blind studies on tranquilizing drugs, conducted long-range planning for all medical programs, restructured the delivery of mental health services to veterans, reorganized how advisory groups functioned and became the Special Assistant to the Chief Medical Director. From 1970 - 1975 Clyde was the Executive Director for Mental Health and Behavioral Science.
From 1975 until his death Clyde was with the Center for Psychological Service where he served as Assistant Director (1975 - 1991) and then as Director (1992 forward). During this time he provided psychological services to public and private personnel/human resource departments (completing over 120 projects involving selection, promotion, performance evaluation and other management concerns); provided mental health consultation; and conducted training in behavioral science area of aging. Clyde was licensed as a Psychologist in the District of Columbia and the Sate of Maryland.
During these two careers Clyde found time to serve as a part-time professorial lecturer in Psychology at George Washington University (1946 - 1967) and as an active member of professional organizations where he held leadership positions, contributed as a member, and won numerous awards. A sampling includes:
Listed in: American Men and Women of Science, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in the East, and Who's Who in Government; Meritorious Service, Army Counseling Program, Convalescent Hospital, 1946; Society of Emeriti, George Washington University (election by members), 1995; President, National Capital Area American Personnel and Guidance Association, 1959 - 1960; and President, American Board on Counseling Services, Inc., 1964 - 1966.
And this hasn't touched on his many contributions to IPMAAC and IPMA. Clyde was an original member in both organizations and was active from the beginning.
He served on numerous IPMA committees and spent a number of years on the Publications Advisory Board. In 1987 he received IPMA's Honorary Life Award for outstanding service to public personnel management.
Within IPMAAC, he has participated on almost every committee and served on the Board of Directors (1992-1995). But one of his greatest contributions was serving as the Editor of the Assessment Council News from 1984 - 1992. Many of us remember his statistics quizzes (To get the answers you has to mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Clyde. He always found it amusing the number of people who asked for the answers to be sent to their home address so co-workers wouldn't know they had to send for the answers.). He was presented with the Distinguished Service Award in 1983 for his work as Chair of IPMAAC's Publications Committee. In 1995 Clyde was presented with IPMAAC's highest award, the Exemplary Service Award. It was an award that he earned and truly deserved.
In addition to Clyde's many contributions in the professional arena he had a personal life and family of which he was very proud. Clyde leaves behind Marie, his wonderful wife of 58 years; two children in whom he took great pride, Richard W. (Jane) Lindley and Suzanna L. (Richard) Summergill; and four grandchildren, Gary Lindley, Stephanie Pullman, Scott Summersgill and Leigh Anne Summersgill. No phone conversation with Clyde was complete without an update on the wonders of his family. Marie, please know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
We miss you, Clyde!
Quotable Quotes
"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way."
-- Franklin P. Adams
"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."
-- Danny Kaye
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is a drop in an ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
-- Mother Theresa
"The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live."
-- Joan Borysenko
"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I accomplish."
-- Michelangelo
"I find that the great thing in this world is not so much were we stand as in what direction we are moving; To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it-but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes
"The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone."
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe
"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."
-- Immanuel Kant
"Now comes the mystery."
-- Henry Ward Beecher (last words on March 8, 1887)
© Copyright 1999 by the IPMA Assessment Council. All rights reserved.