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Widely Published Professor of Developmental Child Psychology

Donna Gelfand ’58

April 6, 2025, in Logan, Utah.

Donna Mae Gelfand was a widely published professor of developmental child psychology at the University of Utah, known for her work on books such as Child Behavior Analysis and Therapy. Her time at Reed was an inflection point in her journey from being a rural public school student to becoming an influential academic.

Born in a tiny mill town in Washington state, Donna attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child. Though she had expected to become a high school teacher, her experiences at Reed convinced her to pursue a career in academia. She savored her humanities coursework—and went on to earn a BA in psychology from Reed and her doctorate at the age of 23 from Stanford University.

In addition to her faculty role at the University of Utah, Donna served as department chair of the psychology department and the first female dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science, a position she held for a decade.

For nearly 50 years, Donna was happily married to Sidney Gelfand, with whom she had a daughter, Laura. Together, the three of them skied, backpacked, camped, ran many Western rivers, and sought out rock art that Donna then embroidered on chambray shirts.

After Sid’s death in 2010, Donna accompanied her daughter on several international trips, but her true passion was a hiking group made up of fellow emeritus faculty. Their ambitious weekly hikes structured Donna’s life in retirement and kept her happy and healthy well into her 80s.

Donna is survived by her daughter, Laura.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Winter 2025

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