Stephen C. Fowler *70

Steve died June 15, 2020, in Lawrence, Kan.

Born Aug. 28, 1944, in Peoria, Ill., Steve graduated from the University of Alabama and obtained a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Princeton in 1970.

In 1973, he became a professor at the University of Mississippi, where he served as the chair of his department and was named the Barnard Distinguished Professor. At the University of Kansas, Steve was a professor of human development and then a professor in pharmacology/toxicology until retiring in 2016.

In addition to his faculty appointments, he was a senior scientist with the Life Span Institute, a member of the Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, and president of the psychopharmacology and substance abuse division of the American Psychological Association.

Steve developed instrumentation to quantify behavior in preclinical research. Devices he created allowed for detection and quantification of previously undetectable or unquantifiable phenomena, such as low-amplitude tremor and rapid muscle movements. His force plate actimeter is used for research on rodent models of Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS, ADHD, essential tremor, schizophrenia, Krabbe disease, autism, and fragile X syndrome.

Steve is survived by his wife, Doreen; daughter Carina; and sister Michelle.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.