ROBERT ANTHONY ALTEMEYER

Condolences & Memories (13 entries)

• Bob, was my high school classmate at CBCHS in Saint Louis. Be was a beloved member of the Class of 1958. Rest In Peace old cadet Frank Windler. - Posted by: Frank Windler (Classmate) on: Feb 20, 2024

• I might have read "The Authoritarians" more times than literally any other piece of research, and think it is a book that everyone on the planet should know intimately. The fact that Dr. Bob released it for free changes it from a monument, to just short of a miracle. After years of being influenced by his work from afar I was lucky enough to interview him less than four months before he passed, and we had a long, easy, hilarious, conversation, despite never having met in person before. It is a memory I will keep. The sheer number of times my work cites his could act as a tribute all on its own, but I can only wish that my own life's contribution will be as vast, as brilliant, and as revealing of the things that really matter, as his. - Posted by: Alexander Loewi, PhD (Fellow researcher, but above all a fan) on: Feb 19, 2024

• Bob Altemeyer was my graduate supervisor at the University of Manitoba. Working with him was a privilege and a life-changing experience. I was affected during my entire career by the guidance he gave me and the example he set for me as a researcher and teacher. I have always been grateful and I always will be, for the challenge, the excitement, and the fun he taught me to find in academic life. He was, indeed, the world expert on right-wing authoritarianism. We will find the work he did more important than ever in the years to come. - Posted by: Wendy Josephson (Student) on: Feb 19, 2024

• What a loss. I'm sad that Bob didn't at least hang in to get us through this next year down here in the States. There are few with as sharp a sense as Bob of the consequences of promoting Donald J. Trump. What a shrewd and important topic he picked to focus on from Carnegie on through. He was no traditional college teacher, for he defined his field. He immersed himself in the literature and the hundreds of complex problems to be solved in order to reach his understanding. He defined and refined his measures, reviewed his results and moved further along into an even more holistic understanding. I watched from a distance, a true scholar. Bob and I met several years before he met Jean. He and I were Yale undergrads from different residential colleges, but sharing the agonies of B.S.Engineering. We came from similar working class backgrounds and as "bursar boys" served our prep school compatriots in the dining hall. And both of us were blown well of course, sitting next to one another in a class with the hugely charismatic psychologist, Chris Argyris. It was about 1960. Civil Rights weren't off the ground. Boys less privileged than us were just starting to get killed by guerrillas in Vietnam. Humanists were turning psychology positive, and a genius was in the room preaching quality of work life as the route to sane living. Argyris demanded vibrant discussion and candid disclosures in a class of near a hundred of a sort none had ever experienced. Each day he'd bring to class a poster board of notes and threaten to lecture if we had little of interest to say. Ethics were on the table. Authenticity was to be key. In our first session we defined "Integrity" and tested the ways in which, in the "here and now," we had failed to demonstrate it. The topics were truth, personal competence, and organizational life. I think I'm doing a lousy job of telling you how radical and emotional all of this was as we were constantly challenged to think about our own personal growth, our independence and self-awareness. Bob and I generally shared lunch with one another after these sessions, and became among one another's best friends. We shared similar career goals though we were headed to different parts of the country for our graduate work. Bob hunkered down with the scientists and engineering types at Carnegie, while I headed to Michigan to be among survey researchers and group interventionists. Bob retained his sharp mind, though mine has degraded over the years such that many memories have faded. I remember yet in the 1960s staying at his upstairs apartment in Pittsburgh and recall his cat, ("laundry bag?"), though Bob remembered me bringing my Louise along for the trip and parts of our screams at a football game. We traded Christmas cards and letters for years. It's sad that we didn't see more of one another. Steve Iman, Dana Point, California. - Posted by: Stephen Iman (friend) on: Feb 19, 2024

• Please correct my inaccurate naming of Bob's son. I believe I called him "Bob" and then realized it should have been "Rob". Our sons played hockey together in their youth. - Posted by: Douglas and Sharon King (Friend) on: Feb 19, 2024

• Sharon and I offer our condolences to Jean and family on the death of Bob. Our son and Robert played hockey at Lord Roberts C.C. in their younger years, some of which were while Bob was the coach. We lived on the same street for many years. When we moved onto Churchill Drive, Bob and Jean gave us a welcoming picnic in Churchill Park. I ran into Bob again at the University of Manitoba several years ago. I had decided to go to University after I enjoyed a youthful retirement. He gave our class a lecture as part of our Psychology program. We periodically saw Jean at Safeway while on Churchill Drive and after we moved into the Riverview area on Baltimore Road. On one occasion she was fundraising for Riverview C.C. I also enjoyed reading his co-authored book and his insight into Donald Trump and Trump's worrying influence on the political landscape of the U.S. - Posted by: Douglas and Sharon King (Friend) on: Feb 19, 2024

• I took Dr. Bob's Social Psych course in 1972. He was a fun guy, and made an interesting subject even more so. I daily use the resultant mind expansion to watch us people and wonder why we do what we do...My condolences to his family. - Posted by: Dave Summers (student) on: Feb 18, 2024

• Dear Jean, Rob, Mike, Jennifer, and family, I am so saddened and sorry for your loss. There goes a great soul. Your father, together with the warmth of his wonderful amazing family, not to mention his collection of Marx Brothers movies, was an early and seminal guide in my formation, my career, and my convictions. Psychology 120 was to me much more than psychology. It was the beginning of a 40+ year journey, still unfinished, toward cracking how the all-too-human mind cleaves to half-truths, alternative facts, and snake-oil salesmen, and more importantly, a key to a better way, a moral compass wrought by hard-won critical thinking, open-mindedness, and discourse and peer review. It was also an introduction to the banality of the authoritarian follower mindset, something the world needs to understand now more than ever. If I've had any success in my career in human services, it is in large part thanks to Dr. Bob. If today I have one (or preferably, two or more, so's the axons and dendrites might communicate) scientific brain cell(s) in my peanut brain, it is thanks to the head start I got with Dr Bob. And if today I am skeptical of quacks and ectoplasm, refuse to be a follower, and stand up against lies and hate in my own quiet introverted way, it is thanks to Dr Bob. It's time to play the music... Love Thomas L. Steur - Posted by: Thomas Steur (Former Student) on: Feb 17, 2024

• I was one of Bob's first graduate students (along with Bruce Hunsberger) at the U of Manitoba. I was also lucky enough for a time to be the family babysitter. I will always be grateful to Bob for his dedication to his students and his sense of fairness. Decades later when I would return to Winnipeg for visits, my husband and I would enjoy long dinners in the backyard with Bob and Jean. Bob was my role model and hero and will always have a special place in my heart. He leaves big shoes to fill. - Posted by: Catherine Casserly (Student) on: Feb 17, 2024

• Bob was my professor in Social Psych way back in the early 70's, and began the class by introducing himself and telling us where he lived. Here was my neighbour up the street! His class was the very best of any I had ever taken, and over the years our families grew to know each other well. Jim and I are very sorry for his passing. He truly was someone special. The world needs more Bob's. - Posted by: Sharron ballendine (Student and neighbour) on: Feb 17, 2024

• Dr. Bob was one of the best and most memorable professors I have ever had. Even more special, however, was that he was consistently searching for the truth, and was humble enough to say that he did not have all the answers. He was, and will always be, an inspiration to me. May his memory be eternal! - Posted by: Esther Juce (U of Manitoba Student, 1980-81) on: Feb 17, 2024

• Dear Jean, A beautiful tribute to a wonderful man. I remember Stefanie and I going to your house to meet with you and Bob before she started university. What great advice she got. She loved Bob’s class and was so sad that he had to have surgery and the remainder of the class was taught by someone else. She said he made the class fun and interesting. I might have to go out and buy Bob’s book on Trump. I just don’t understand that persons mind and why he says and does what he does with no conscience. Most of all condolences to you and your family. You all have great memories of Bob, keep the stories going. I will call soon. Love and hugs Maureen. - Posted by: Maureen Fryza (Acquaintance ) on: Feb 17, 2024

• I was a student of Professor Altemeyer in 1974. He was one of my favourite profs-he taught a Social Psychology course that I still think of from time to time. His class was packed and he opened every lecture with a humorous bit related to the class subject. I did some grunt work for him on his research projects. He was brilliant and his work on authoritarianism has been outstanding and absolutely critical for our understanding of how societies can unravel. My condolences to the family for this huge loss. - Posted by: Ron Bewski (Student ) on: Feb 17, 2024