William R. Charlesworth, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, died on October 28, 2021.
Charlesworth spent his entire career at Minnesota, having joined the faculty after receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell in Child Development and Family Relationships. He had earlier completed an undergraduate degree in English from Muhlenberg College and a master’s in psychology from Wesleyan University. An early proponent of ethological approaches, Charlesworth conducted research on early cognitive development, learning, problem-solving, and cooperation and competition in social groups. Later in his career, he conducted cross-cultural studies of cooperation and competition and regulation of aggression. Bill was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich in 1968-1969 and again in 1976-1977. He served as the President of the International Society for Human Ethology and was also a member of the European Academy of Science and Arts.
He was a committed teacher, and he strongly supported preparation of graduate students for effective teaching. He served as the Institute's Director of Undergraduate Studies, in addition to serving as a member or chair of many college and university committees, including the President's Committee on Teaching and Learning. Bill received the Horace T. Morse Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, as well as the College of Education Distinguished Teaching Award.
His contributions to the field include early leadership on ethical standards for research with human subjects. In 1973-1975 he served on the first institutional review boards on the protection of human subjects at Minnesota. In 1983, he became chair of the APA Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects. From 1984-1987, he chaired the SRCD Committee for Ethical Conduct in Child Development Research.
William Charlesworth was a warm, generous, and stimulating colleague. His legacy is an example of the intellectual life well lived.