In Memoriam: Harold Fishbein

The college mourns the loss of Harold Fishbein, Professor of Psychology, who passed away Oct. 19, 2005. A memorial service was held at Hillel Jewish Student Center on Oct. 24.

Dean Gould said of his death, “We are all saddened by Hal’s passing and by the loss of such an engaged, thoughtful, and passionate member of our collegiate community. Hal cared deeply about his students, his research, the department, the college, and our university. Personally, I will miss his engaging dialogue on so many different issues and his dedication even in the face of such difficult physical challenges. He was an inspiration to many of us.”

His colleague, Steve Howe, noted that after joining the faulty in 1964, he “made an original, indeed groundbreaking contribution to our knowledge of eyelid conditioning, how children conceptualize space, evolutionary psychology, and prejudice.” In addition to his “fine, award-winning scholarship on four problems arising from four distant theoretical frameworks,” added Howe, “he found time to offer students wonderful courses that few would have ventured to dare present.”

A few days before his death, he and his wife made arrangements for a memorial to be called the Max and Sarah Fishbein Scholarship Fund of the UC Psychology Department (c/o the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, 200 W. Fourth St. 45202). Memorials may also be sent to Hillel Jewish Student Center, 2615 Clifton Ave. 45220 and to Talbert House, 2600 Victory Pkwy 45206.

At the end of her message informing the college of her husband’s death, Diane Fishbein included a quotation from the poet William Blake: “I give you the end of a golden string; only wind it into a ball. It will lead you in at heaven’s gate, built in Jerusalem’s wall.”