Larry Kerpelman collection on the Department of Psychology

The Larry Kerpelman collection on the Department of Psychology contains correspondence, program pamphlets, and two photographs, documenting Kerpelman’s experience and engagement with the University of Rochester’s Department of Psychology as a prospective student, graduate student, and alumnus. The collection contains the following two series: Series I: Larry Kerpelman records and correspondence, 1957-1996, and Series II: Organizational publications, 1953-1969.

Series I: Larry Kerpelman records and correspondence, 1957-1996, contains correspondence, ephemera, and personal academic records documenting Kerpelman’s experience as a student and highlighting his relationship to the Department of Psychology and its faculty throughout his academic and professional career. Kerpelman corresponded significantly with Professor of Psychology, Dr. Emory Cowen, throughout his application process, time as a graduate student, and through some letters exchanged in 1996 as an alumnus and upon Cowen’s retirement. Cowen taught in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester from 1950 to 1996. He is nationally recognized for founding the Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP) in Rochester, New York, in 1957, an organization that provides preventative mental health care services for children. Two photographs, taken in 1996, additionally depict Kerpelman and Emory Cowen, posed standing next to each other at Cowen's retirement. This series also includes a transcript, curricula vitae, and evaluations of the graduate program and tributes for faculty retirements written by Kerpelman, reflecting on student life and his experience with the department.

Series II: Organizational publications, 1953-1969, contains material created by, or about, the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester. This series is comprised of an excerpt from a bulletin discussing the development of the psychology department, directories of the department’s personnel, and a program pamphlet describing course offerings.