Donald J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Don Schwartz finally lost his battle with heart disease at the age of 63 on March 5, 1998, 8 years after his heart transplant. He never expected to last that long and always felt that he was living on borrowed time. He is remembered as a loving, caring, and dedicated husband, father, and grandfather.

Don had been the EEOC’s Chief Psychologist since 1979, and had worked in the Federal Government since 1969. He received his B.A. and his M.A. in social psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles and his Ph.D. in psychological measurement from the University of Southern California. During college he worked as a Social Sciences Assistant for the Army Transportation School, and while he was in graduate school he worked as a Personnel Analyst in the Test Research and Development Section of the Los Angeles County Personnel Department. After graduate school he worked at Educational Testing Service before taking a job as a Personnel Research Psychologist with the U.S. Civil Service Commission in Washington in 1969.

Don’s major professional accomplishments were in the areas of testing and employee selection. One of his major legacies was his work on the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. He was a member of the staff committees which developed the Guidelines and the interpretive Questions and Answers on the Guidelines for three federal agencies. He represented the U.S. Civil Service Commission (now OPM) from 1973 to 1976, the Department of Labor from 1976 to 1979, and the EEOC from 1979 to 1980. He was one of the key negotiators on the interagency committee which developed the final version of the Guidelines in 1978.

Don was an active participant in SIOP, APA, and the Personnel Testing Council. For many years he was an annual participant in symposia and panel discussions at SIOP conferences and APA conventions. He was one of the founders of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.

Don provided testimony as an expert witness in many cases which had an impact on the history of I-O Psychology. These included Davis v. Washington, EEOC v. Alabama Power, EEOC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and EEOC v. Atlas Paper Box Company. His insightful testimony was often critical to the outcome of litigation.

As Chief Psychologist at the EEOC, Don provided leadership and a breadth and depth of expertise. He had extensive influence in his work with attorneys, EEOC investigators, and professional colleagues.

Despite all his professional accomplishments, he will probably be best remembered for his personal warmth and unsurpassed dedication to duty. Those of us who worked with him remember his humanity and his sense of humor. He will be greatly missed.

Jack Kearns
EEOC

Other Society Losses

The Society was also informed of the deaths of Roger Marion Bellows, Sr., and Francis X. Mahoney, President and CEO of F X Mahoney & Associates.