Dael Lee Wolfle

Background

Wolfle was born on March 5, 1906, in Puyallup, Washington, the son of David H. Wolfle and Elizabeth Pauly.

Education

Wolfle graduated from the University of Washington in 1927 and obtained his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Ohio State University in 1931.

Career

During the 1930's and 1940's Wolfle taught at several universities, including Ohio State, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Chicago; the years during World War II saw Wolfle as a civilian training administrator for electronics for the Army Signal Corps, and he also worked for the Office of Scientific Research and Development as a technical aide. Wolfle left academia in 1946 to become executive secretary of the American Psychological Association, followed by a position as director of the Commission on Human Resources and Advanced Training from 1950 to 1954.

Wolfle was fascinated by the study of science, and so his next appointment, as executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was a perfect fit. He directed the AAAS until 1970 and was the editor of its journal, Science. In 1970 Wolfle returned to teaching, joining the faculty of the University of Washington as a professor of public affairs - policy issues were also a great interest of his - until his retirement in 1996.

In addition to his teaching and administrative posts, Wolfle served on committees for the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Council on Education. He was also the author, coauthor, or editor of over a dozen books, including Science and Public Policy, The Uses of Talent, and Renewing a Scientific Society: The American Association for the Advancement of Science from World War II to 1970. Wolfle received several honors for his contributions, including two honorary degrees and, in 1979, the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus award from the University of Washington.

Achievements

• Wolfle is best remembered for his service as the longtime head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He published many books and monographs on the discovery and use of scientific talent and received many honors and recognitions for his contributions.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Uses of Talent

    (Looking at the uses and abuses of high-talent manpower in...)

  • Symposium on Basic Research
  • The home of science: The role of the university 1972

Connections

Wolfle married Helen Morrill on December 28, 1929, and they were married for 59 years until her death in 1988. He is survived by his children, Janet H. Christophersen, Lee M. Wolfle, John M. Wolfle, and Rehoboth Beach.

Father:

David H. Wolfle

Mother:

Elizabeth Pauly

Spouse:

Helen Morrill

Daughter:

Janet H. Christophersen

Son:

Lee M. Wolfle

Son:

John M. Wolfle

Daughter:

Rehoboth Beach

References

• Contemporary authors Volume 211
  2003