William Spears
William Spears,associate professor emeritus of psychology, died December 7, 1992.
As a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, William served on the USS Essex and saw action in the Philippine liberation.
A native Rhode Islander, he earned B.A., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from Brown University. He taught at the University of Denver and Queens University in Ontario, Canada, before coming to Skidmore in 1966. He was a psychology faculty member for 18 years and continued to live in Saratoga Springs after retiring from Skidmore in 1984.
Most of his research was in developmental psychology, particularly child development and the psychology of aging. His work on sensation and perception in small children was published in professional journals in both the U.S. and Canada. He offered one of the first internship experiences at Skidmore in the early years of the 4-1-4 calendar.
His wife, Hilda, and son William survived him.