Tyler, Leona E. (1906–1993)

Leona Elizabeth Tyler was born in Chetek, Wisconsin, on May 10, 1906; she died at the age of 86 in Eugene, Oregon, on April 23, 1993. By her own admission, an established field of counseling psychology did not exist when she began her full-time graduate training at the University of Minnesota in 1938, but Tyler made a significant contribution to the definition and evolution of the discipline throughout her career. She founded a university counseling service; wrote an authoritative counseling text, The Work of the Counselor; served as president of the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Division of Counseling Psychology (1959–1960); and was ultimately elected president of the APA (1972–1973). In fact, Tyler's contributions to the counseling field were so significant that counseling psychology's most prestigious award is named in her honor. Her professional and scholarly work was not confined, however, to counseling. Her career at the University of Oregon spanned more than three decades and included appointments as a professor in the psychology department and dean of the graduate college. A prolific author, she published more than 50 journal articles and penned books on diverse topics, including individual differences, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, psychological testing, intelligence, and creative thinking.