6 RAPS SHEET n NOVEMBER 2023 In memoriam: Thomas Kindermann, 1954-2023 THOMAS KINDERMANN, a professor of psychology who served Portland State for 34 years, died unexpectedly on June 19, one day short of his retirement. Professor Kindermann was born in February 18, 1954, in what was then East Berlin. He was the eldest of three sons born to Anton and Inge Kindermann, née Teubner, who were physicians. In 1960 the family fled to West Germany just months before the Berlin Wall was built. The children were distributed to relatives until the family could build a new life, which they did in Emmerich, a small town on the Rhine River. Professor Kindermann received a bachelor’s degree in 1976 and a master’s degree in 1980 from the University of Trier. In 1989 he completed a Ph.D. at the Free University of Berlin. It was in Berlin that he met an American, Ellen Skinner, who was working at the Max Planck Institute. The couple married in 1989, the same year Professor Kindermann began his career at Portland State. (Professor Skinner joined the Portland State psychology faculty in 1992.) Professor Kindermann’s academic career, interests, and accomplishments were recalled in an obituary written by Professor Skinner and the couple’s daughter, Leona, which was published on the PSU website (https://www.pdx.edu/ liberal-arts-sciences/news/memorial-service-planned-psuprofessor-thomas-kindermann) on September 5: “Devoted to teaching, research, students, and developmental science, Thomas taught classes on child development, adulthood and aging, social development, lifespan development, observational methods, and children’s peer relationships. His own research, which included studies of the development of the elderly in institutions and infants in family homes, eventually zeroed in on a lifelong passion for understanding children’s peer relationships—what peers do to, for, or against children’s development—as a social context that children actually select and create for themselves. Working with colleagues, Thomas developed methods, called sociocognitive mapping, for capturing children’s peer networks and distinguishing selection from socialization effects. Conducting multiple grant-funded longitudinal studies, often in collaboration with his wife, he focused on the effects of peer relationships on children’s motivation, engagement, and learning in school. He published dozens of papers and several books and textbooks. He adored advising, mentoring, and working with both undergraduate and doctoral students across the department and university. He believed in his “Doktorkinder” and their many successes brought him great joy. He was committed to contributing to the larger community and served continuously on departmental and university committees, including most recently, Sigma Xi. He read and thought broadly, a true scholar, interested in the natural and social sciences, and especially in developmental perspectives. He had a special fascination for the conundrum of time.” A celebration of life was held on September 23 on the PSU campus. Remembrances may be made to UNICEF children’s fund at https://www.unicefusa.org/
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