Arthur Hills Brayfield, PhD, APA's chief executive officer from 1962 to 1968, died March 15 at his home in Ashland, Ore.
During his term at APA, Brayfield contributed significantly to the improvement of APA's finances and business and was also deeply involved in the plans for APA's first headquarters building in Washington, D.C., on 17th Street. Also, he initiated The Washington Report, a monthly governance newsletter that led to the start of the Monitor.
According to APA's 1992 book "100 Years: The American Psychological Association, A Historical Perspective," during his term, Brayfield regularly acted "to supplement a badly overworked staff in the Central Office," including hiring APA's first director of business affairs, Boris Cherney.
Brayfield frequently appeared before congressional committees to testify on behalf of members. Indeed, throughout his life, he remained steeped in APA governance as member, fellow and chair of various divisions, councils, committees and boards.
"He practically knew the APA membership directory by heart," says his wife, Austin, who once quizzed her husband on names to prove her suspicions correct.
Brayfield earned his PhD in psychology in 1946 from the University of Minnesota and taught at several colleges and universities, including Colorado State University and the University of California in Los Angeles and Berkeley. Before his term at APA, he chaired the departments of psychology at Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Claremont Graduate School in California.
In addition to his wife, Brayfield is survived by four children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
--K. HEWLETT
Email this article to a friend or colleague