Department of
Psychological and Brain Sciences

“Welcome, Hellerites.” So began PBS Chair Mike Jones in his opening remarks to the group of 21 former, mostly Ph.D. students of PBS Professor Emeritus Kenneth Heller, who gathered at the department with Ken, his wife, Audrey, and their children Caroline, Dan and Emily. For 36 years, Heller had a long and prominent career as a researcher and professor of psychology. He also played a significant role in laying the foundations for the strong clinical science program we have today and was especially influential in shaping the Clinic, of which he served as director for a decade.

Following his retirement, Heller continued to work for 25 more years. He also made an important philanthropic contribution to PBS, establishing the Kenneth Heller Minority Student Support Fund, to support the training of groups underrepresented in the field of psychology.

As Jones noted, “Ken identified, decades ago, the barriers being faced by underrepresented minority graduates in our field, and long before this became a public focus, he was doing something about it. With the Ken Heller Minority Student Support Fund, Ken matches any funds that are contributed by alumni. We use those funds every year to support underrepresented students for career development and training that would otherwise not be possible. It has been absolutely impactful for dozens of minority students.”

Yet in addition to his remarkable academic and philanthropic legacy, “the real measure of his influence is in all of you,” Jones observed, referring to the 21 alumni present and some who could not participate, whose degrees range from 1968 to 2003.

 

Mary Ann Takemoto (Ph.D. 1986), who organized the event, described the “overwhelming enthusiasm” she received from fellow former students: “Within 24 hours, I had about a dozen people say, ‘I’m in.’” And they came from such varied places as California, New York, Atlanta, D.C., across the Midwest and Canada.

Among the common observations that emerged was the sheer admiration for Ken as a scientist, mentor, scholar and human being. Jann Adams (Ph.D. 1989) explains: “What Ken did was allow me to pursue what I was interested in, the things I love and were exciting for me.”

To Dennis Bouffard (Ph.D. 1973): “My first impression of Ken, was as a knowledgeable and serious dude. I later learned he was also kind, gentle, supportive and patient. It was through his approach to teaching this mysterious art of therapy that I experienced a paradigm shift that has served me so well for my entire career.”

From Mary Wyman (Ph.D. 2003): “You really set the bar high for me as a mentor. Apart from the science, what I remember most is your kindness. I knew that making the world a better place was really important to you – and being grounded in community.”

Many recounted the way Ken and Audrey’s relationship inspired them in their personal lives. Audrey is a Clinical Assistant Professor Emerita from the IU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Following her retirement, she co-founded The Jewish Theatre of Bloomington and has spent close to 20 years as its producing artistic director.

For Ann Steffen (Ph.D. 1991) Ken and Audrey “were the first professional couple that I ever met in my life. Seeing the two of you as partners and Audrey as very much your own person was not what I experienced in my family, so that was impactful for me.” To Mary Anne Takemoto (Ph.D. 1987): “You’re both role models who excelled in your professions but also gave back to the community.” And for Mark Fondacaro (Ph.D. 1985): Ken served “as a male role model and his relationship with Audrey, a partnership of equals.”

The final words of the day’s event came from Ken. As an astute witness to the slow, hard-won gains for women students and faculty in the academic world, he sees in that history a model for the many future gains that need to follow for those still underrepresented in the field.

But his “main message,” he said, “is how proud I am. I have often said, you can tell the quality of a person by their interest in the world and the advancement of the world. And I have always thought of you in this way. I am very grateful to have met you and worked with you. I benefited from my encounters with you. I cherished my encounters with you, and I think I am particularly honored that you let me learn from you.”