Kelly, E. Lowell (Everett Lowell), 1905-1986

Professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

From the description of Everett L. Kelly papers, 1926-1986. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34422274

Everett Lowell Kelly, born November 15, 1905, came to the University of Michigan as a professor of psychology in 1946, already a distinguished member of his profession. He was an outstanding student at Purdue (B.A., 1926), Colorado State College of Education (M.A., 1928), and Stanford University (PhD, 1930). His first academic position was at the University of Hawaii, where he encountered Thalia Massie and later became involved in her well-publicized rape trial. During World War II Kelly was active in the Civil Aeronautics Administration, developing a pilot aptitude test and a flight training manual which standardized vocabularies for naval flight instructors. In 1945 he spent a year in Washington, D.C. working closely with scientists and senators involved in creating a National Science Foundation.

At the University of Michigan, Kelly and department chairman Donald Marquis worked hard to build up the then weak psychology department by hiring reputable faculty and developing the curriculum. When Marquis left in 1957, Kelly was named chairman of the department. He retired from formal teaching in 1974.

Kelly's professional interests were many and varied; over the years he explored such subjects as "color hearing," extrasensory perception, personality and compatibility in marriage (later published as the well known Kelly Longitudinal Study), training programs, predictors for student success, and methods of testing. He was active in a variety of organizations and agencies including the American Psychological Association (member of board of directors and president, 1954-1955), Veterans Administration, Office of Naval Research, Peace Corps, National Institute of Mental Health, and the Psychological Corporation.

Kelly maintained a lifelong interest in amateur radio, through which he met and courted his second wife, Lillian. Kelly died on January 16, 1986.

From the guide to the Everett L. Kelly Papers, 1926-1986, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)