Oran Wendle Eagleson
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Oran Wendle Eagleson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1910 Unionville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | 1997 (aged 86–87) |
| Alma mater | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Institutions | North Carolina Central University Spelman College |
Oran Wendle Eagleson (1910–1997) was an American psychologist. He taught at the North Carolina College for Negroes, before teaching at Spelman College, Atlanta, where he became the dean of instruction and later the Callaway Professor of Psychology. He was the third[1] black person in the United States to receive a doctorate degree in psychology.[2] In 1985, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Indiana University for "his service as a pioneer in the development of Black perspectives in psychology".
Oran Wendle Eagleson was born in Unionville, Indiana in 1910.[3][1] He graduated from Bloomington High School in 1927,[4] received an A.B. bachelor's degree in psychology in 1931 from Indiana University followed by a master's in 1932 and a Ph.D. in 1935.[3][4] Eagleson worked as a shoe shiner and shoe repair finisher from high school through graduate years.[3][4]
Career
It was hard for Eagleson to find employment with his psychology degree.[3] He found a job in 1936 in Durham, North Carolina at the North Carolina College for Negroes, where he taught psychology, sociology, economics, and philosophy.[3][4] After financial issues at the college,[3] he moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1936[5] to teach at Spelman, a women's college.[3] At Spelman, he was highly paid, but psychology was not a major; it was an elective until a few years later.[3] Eagleson also served as an exchange professor at Atlanta University where he taught graduate courses.[3]
He became the dean of instruction at Spelman in 1954 and, in 1970, he was promoted to be the Callaway Professor of Psychology.[3] He was also co-director of Morehouse-Spelman Intensified Pre-College program.[3] Likewise, he was a lecturer and consultant in orientation and training project conducted by the Peace Corps.[3]
In 1985, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in science by his alma mater, Indiana University, for "his service as a pioneer in the development of Black perspectives in psychology".[1]