Former SIUC psychology department chair dies

A former chairman of the Department of Psychology at SIUC died last week.

David Ehrenfreund, died March 30 at his home in Barrington. He taught at SIUC from 1962 to 1982. He held three degrees from the University of Iowa. He was born May 24, 1917 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Prior to working at SIUC, Ehrendfreund taught at Washington State College (now University) in Pullman, Wash. He left Pullman for a full professorship and chairmanship of the Department of Psychology at Adelphi College in Garden City, N. Y., where he stayed for six years before coming to SIUC as chairman of the psychology department, a position he held until 1979. He retired in 1982. 

During his years of teaching and doing research, he published in many scientific journals and served as president of both the Washington State Psychological Association and Midwest Psychological Association. He held a sabbatical appointment in England during 1967-68, and while there he guest lectured at both Oxford and Cambridge psychology departments. He was guest lecturer at Jalapa University, Mexico, summer of 1969.

In 1962, he was elected as a fellow in the American Psychological Association and the following year he was elected as a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was consultant to Psychnomic Society Publications in Austin, Texas, in 1976, and a charter member of that organization. He was also a member of Sigma Xi from which he received the Leo Kaplan Award at the SIUC. Chapter in 1963.

He specialized in learning theory and motivation.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years; daughter, Cathy (William) Enthof and two granddaughters, Emily and Rachel Enthof. He is also survived by two sisters and a brother. He was preceded in death by his son, Mark J. Ehrenfreund.