Parapsychology Laboratory

• 1927: Duke Psychology Department established with William McDougall as Chair
• 1930: Extra sensory perception (ESP) research began in Psychology Laboratory
• 1934: Psychokinesis (PK) research began in Psychology Laboratory
• 1935: Parapsychology Laboratory established within Psychology Department; McDougall Research Fund created to support work of Laboratory
• 1937, Mar.: Journal of Parapsychology inaugurated with J. B. Rhine as senior editor
• 1939: Journal of Parapsychology editorship transferred to G. Murphy and B. Reiss
• 1942: Journal of Parapsychology editorship returned to Parapsychology Laboratory, with Rhine as senior editor
• 1947: Parapsychology Laboratory moved out of Psychology Department and became Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University
• 1957: Parapsychological Association established at Duke under auspices of Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1960 - 1963 : Psychical Research Foundation established, operating out of Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1962: Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man established in Durham with Rhine as Director
• 1965, Aug.: Parapsychology Laboratory closed at Duke; moved to Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man as Institute for Parapsychology
• 1971 - 1972 : Helmut Schmidt became Director of Institute for Parapsychology; Rhine remained Director of Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man
• 1973 - 1974 : Jay Levy became Director of Institute for Parapsychology
• 1975: Rhine resumed Directorship of Institute for Parapsychology
• 1977: K. R. Rao became Director of Institute for Parapsychology

• 1895, Sept. 29: Born in Waterloo, Pennsylvania
• 1917 - 1919 : Served in Marine Corps
• 1920, Apr.: Married Louisa Ellen Weckesser
• 1922: B.S. in Biology from University of Chicago
• 1923: M.S. in Biology from University of Chicago
• 1923 - 1924 : Research Fellow in plant physiology at Boyce Thompson Institute, Yonkers, NY
• 1924 - 1926 : Instructor in Botany, West Virginia University, Morgantown
• 1925: Ph.D. in Biology from University of Chicago
• 1926, Fall: Sittings with Minnie Soule for J. F. Thomas
• 1926 - 1927 : Studied Philosophy at Harvard
• 1927, Fall: Went to Duke on behalf of J. F. Thomas
• 1927 - 1929 : Research Assistant to Thomas and McDougall
• 1928 - 1929 : Instructor in Philosophy and Psychology
• 1929: Assistant Professor of Psychology, Duke
• 1930, Fall: Began ESP experiments
• 1937: Professor of Psychology, Duke
• 1937: Founded Journal of Parapsychology with William McDougall
• 1950: Retired from teaching
• 1962: Established Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man in Durham
• 1965: Retired from Duke faculty
• 1979: Elected President of (London-based) Society for Psychical Research
• 1980, Feb. 20: Died, Hillsborough, North Carolina

Publications: Extra Sensory Perception (1934), New Frontiers of the Mind (1937), Extra-Sensory Perception after 60 Years (1940), Reach of the Mind (1947), New World of the Mind (1953), and Parapsychology: Frontier Science of the Mind (1957).

• 1910, Aug. 31: Born, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• 1931: B.A. from Duke
• 1932 - 1934 : Worked at Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1933: M.A. in Psychology from Duke
• 1935 - 1937 : Studied under Gardner Murphy at Columbia
• 1936: Ph.D. in Psychology from Duke
• 1936: Married Nellie Ruth Pratt
• 1937: Co-author of Handbook for Testing Extra-Sensory Perception
• 1938: Returned to Duke and full time work at Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1938 - 1940? : Unpaid Instructor of Psychology at Duke
• 1940: Co-author of Extra-Sensory Perception After 60 Years
• 1942 - 1946 : Served in U.S. Navy
• 1942 - 1963 : Joint editor of Journal of Parapsychology
• 1946: Returned to Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1947 - 1963 : Treasurer of Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1960: President of Parapsychological Association
• 1963, July 1: Left Parapsychology Laboratory
• 1964 - 1976 : Professor of Psychiatry at University of Virginia
• 1964 - 1979 : Research Associate at Division of Parapsychology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Virginia
• 1979, Nov. 3: Died outside of Charlottesville, Va.

From the guide to the Parapsychology Laboratory Records, 1893-1984, (Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library)