J. Guthrie Ford, professor emeritus of psychology, died April 10, 2018. He was 73.
A specialist in personality and social psychology, Professor Ford joined the Trinity faculty in 1972 as an assistant professor. Promoted to full professor in 1992, his teaching areas included introduction to psychology, theories of personality, and statistics and research methods.
Students gave Ford high marks for his statistics offerings and his humanistic insights. He was named Outstanding University Professor in 1976. In a post on Tiger Talk earlier this week, Professor Emeritus Bob Blystone recalled Ford’s teaching style as “exuberant, energetic, and often bombastic.”
An active scholar, he authored nearly 20 papers for the professional publication Journal of Humanistic Psychology. He also frequently presented research at professional meetings such as the Southwestern Psychological Association and the Association for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach. He was also regularly interviewed by local media on such topics as “violence and television” and “risk-taking behavior.”
After he retired in 1999, Ford began a second career specializing in the life and times of the Texas coast, specifically the Port Aransas and Island areas. He wrote several books and contributed to the “History Corner” of the Port Aransas South Jetty newspaper.
Ford also had a lifelong love of aviation and military history, particularly WWII. His final research project centered on Amelia Earhart, where he co-authored Behavioral and Psychological Analyses of Amelia Earhart’s Final Flight with The Internationals Group for Aircraft Recovery.
Guthrie Ford is survived by his wife, Pamalee Petrich Ford, his son Brian Ford, and a granddaughter, Taylor of Austin. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. May 5, in the Parker Chapel with the Rev. Stephen Nickle officiating.
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