IN MEMORIAM

William M. Meredith

Professor of Psychology, Emeritus

UC Berkeley

1929 – 2006

William M. Meredith, professor of psychology, emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and an internationally renowned psychometrician, died at his El Cerrito home on December 4, 2006. He was 77. Bill, as he was known to all, served the Department of Psychology, the Institute of Human Development, and the psychometric field with distinction for close to 50 years.

             

Bill was born to a farming family in Webster, South Dakota, on September 20, 1929. Growing up during the Depression, Bill moved around the country with his family until they settled in Tacoma, Washington, where he attended high school. He went on to the University of Washington to study statistics and psychology, earning B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, in 1952, 1956, and 1958, respectively.

             

Bill joined the Department of Psychology at Berkeley in 1960 as an assistant professor and moved up to associate professor in 1965 and to professor in 1967. He was a major figure in the field of psychometrics, publishing many articles on factor analysis, measurement theory, and longitudinal data analysis. Bill was just as curious about behavior as he was about methods. He participated in numerous projects that assessed and compared individuals with respect to physical abilities, mental abilities, social relationships, and personality traits over their life spans.

             

Bill was probably best known for his work on factorial invariance, which is an elegant way to discover what varies over time and what remains constant. A landmark paper that was the start of these ideas was “Notes on Factorial Invariance” (1964), published in Psychometrika. Bill was also highly respected and admired for his work on latent curve modeling, which offers a formal framework for testing linear and nonlinear theories of change over time. Some of these ideas began in a paper called “Latent Curve Analysis” (1990), also published in Psychometrika. Bill made many other intellectual contributions to psychometrics, including the edited book, Methodological Issues in Aging Research (1988), and an article, with Constance Jones, “Developmental Paths of Psychological Health from Early Adolescence to Later Adulthood” (2000). Bill and Constance reported the improvement of psychological health after the age of 30 for the 236 participants who were followed from adolescence to age 62.

             

Bill was a modest gentleman, but his professional colleagues recognized and appreciated his contributions. He served as president of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology in 1988, winning the society’s Sells Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1996, and was president of the Psychometric Society in 1992. In 1995, he received the Annual Tanaka award for Best Paper in Multivariate Behavior Research. Bill also served the profession as a consultant to various organizations and journals, including the Journal of Gerontology, Psychological Sciences, the British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, Psychometrika, and the Columbian National Testing Service.

             

These achievements reflect only a small part of what will be most remembered by those of us who were lucky enough to know Bill. His personal influence was enormous. To us, Bill was a “giant.” He was warm, kind, funny, and generous with his time for colleagues and students. He loved reading Mark Twain, exploring the outdoors, talking about baseball, and telling humorous stories. His love of adventure took him to Hawaii for several trips, including a sabbatical. One unfortunate experience, however, occurred in 1982: when surfing in Oahu, he was knocked unconscious by gigantic waves. He was eventually resuscitated, but the accident damaged the nerves in his spine, a problem that continued for the rest of his life. His spirit, however, recovered and he continued to engage in life with his family, friends, and scholarly pursuits.

 

An important and fulfilling part of Bill’s career was the training and mentoring of students, many of whom have become leaders in the field of psychometrics. Some of Bill's gifts for one-on-one teaching come through in the comments made by his students and colleagues. Professor Emeritus Phil Cowan noted that “[i]n a quiet way, his work provided the foundation for a whole new way to analyze longitudinal data, much more powerful and informative than anything we’ve had before.” One of his former undergraduate students, and a subsequent colleague in the Department of Psychology (and contributor to this memorial), currently professor in the Haas School of Business, Barbara Mellers, stated, “His good natured, low-key style and his powerful intellect made him a patient and inspiring teacher. He loved literature, good food and friends. He will be greatly missed by those who were fortunate enough to enjoy his salty humor, his creative mind, and his extraordinarily generous spirit.” Both Sheldon Zedeck and Rhona Weinstein (also contributors to this memorial) recall numerous visits to Bill’s office, first making small talk and exchanging funny stories, and then telling Bill about being stumped while analyzing a set of data. Bill would ask a few questions, go to his chalkboard, write some formulae, and tell you what needed to be done. And his advice was priceless. He provided a deeper and richer understanding of the question and how to answer it. Such efforts would ordinarily gain coauthorship on student and colleague papers, but Bill’s modesty resulted in his refusal of coauthorships.

 

His students, however, repaid him for his contributions by hosting a symposium in his honor in Berkeley in 1999. Over 60 students and colleagues participated in a two-day event, at which students presented papers and told stories about Bill. Comments from students show the remembrances of Bill as a person: his scholarly influence, his warmth, his style, his humor, and his lively interest in people and their lives. Sheri Berenbaum, a former graduate student, said, “During my first meeting with Bill … and students … we were asked about our interests. Bill said something like ‘I’m interested in Norse sagas, but I work as a psychometrician to make a living.’ I often think of that – and lots of other examples provided by Bill – to remember the importance of a well-rounded life.” Richard Duran remarked, “Bill … offered us other training. I most appreciate his stoicism and grit, e.g., Meredith’s law: ‘Those who got, get.’ Bill gave me tremendous respect and support as a graduate student, and he strengthened my values on the importance of self-reliance … It is good to know that we were able to build on Bill’s bountiful talents, and crusty attitude.” Finally, Bob Janerone said, “I got my Ph.D. under Bill’s (un)supervision in the 1970’s. Throughout, he saw to it that I was reasonably supported, inspired, educated, happy, and above all else independent. Don’t ask me why, but despite all that I still love Bill dearly.”

 

Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Vivian, daughter Nancy, sons William, Tom, and Douglas, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He will be deeply missed by those of us who had the good fortune to have him touch our lives.

 

 

              Sheldon Zedeck

              Rhona S. Weinstein

              Barbara Mellers