* * * * *

A brother who was more than just a brother. He was a dear friend who was wise and compassionate. I will miss our conversations which invariably resulted in humorous reminiscences of our late teens and early twenties.

- Dale Nesselroade

* * * * *

Having known that this day would come has not offered me significant consolation.

I have flashbacks of 404 29th Street & playing tackle football in the back yard with Dave and I each wrapped around a separate leg as he carefully carried us the full length of the yard on his feet and faked a fall around the designated goal marker without falling on either of us. Sitting beside Dad & watching JR play basketball from the stands at the PHS Field House as JR jumped center instead of Jim Custer who was taller. And the day he came home from the Marine Corps.

I remember us three ‘youngins’ harassing JR who was babysitting us one night. We knew we were in trouble from early in the evening ‘cuz JR said he would have to tell mom and dad. We were supposed to be in bed when the folks came home but when we heard the front door we all got to the head of the steps to listen.

"How were the kids?"

“They were good. We had a nice evening.”

It was said a bit unconvincingly but just enough to keep us from having our seats blistered! 
Thanks for the great memories, JR!  We will see you later!

- Ken Nesselroade

* * * * *

    

Before I started the 8th grade, I was nervous about algebra! John found out, and one afternoon he sat down and gave me a pre-algebra session on some of the concepts I would be learning! It was so simple - and so brilliant that it all made sense to me!

Before I went away to the Christian boarding school, John had a long walk with me and talked about some of the things I would be facing away from home. Again, he really helped me prepare for leaving home!

And I will be forever grateful that John and Carolyn let me live with them for my first two years of medical school. The stability of their home while in a new city and new discipline made all the difference in my start at WVU! 

What a blessing John has been in my life.

- David Nesselroade

* * * * *

He was a wonderful big brother. I adored him! he was such a kind, gentle man. We already miss him greatly.

- Nancy Kent

* * * * *

In addition to being a remarkable researcher with significant contributions to the field of psychology, John was the nicest person I have ever met. He was not just a mentor but more like an elder family member to me, offering unconditional support at every turn. John was instrumental in helping me adjust to a completely different world and guiding my research ever since I arrived in the US. He even went above and beyond to help me with my English. I fondly remember him teaching me the pronunciations of many words in his office in Gilmer Hall. I especially recall how challenging the word "Bayesian" was for me! Without John's unwavering support and guidance, my career would not have been possible. I will forever miss John.

- Zhiyong (Johnny) Zhang, a former graduate student of John's at the University of Virginia, now working as Professor in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

John made a tremendous positive impact on the scientific community through his contributions to the literature and his influence among researchers in the field. His pioneering work in conceptualizing and studying both intraindividual change and intraindividual variability has profoundly inspired novel method developments and advanced researchers’ understanding of human development. His innovative measurement burst designs have left a lasting mark on research methodologies, enabling scientists to address novel and complex research questions with greater precision.

Beyond his academic achievements, John's kindness and wisdom were cherished by those who had the privilege of working with and learning from him. He was not only a brilliant researcher but also a generous and supportive mentor who inspired and guided many, including myself, in career development.

John's legacy of excellence, innovation, and kindness will continue to inspire the psychology community for years to come. His contributions will be remembered and appreciated by all who knew him and those who will read his work.

- Lijuan (Peggy) Wang, a former graduate student of John's at the University of Virginia, now working as Professor in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

* * * * *

Meeting of the Minds at UVa, 1999

Trés Amigos 

John was my quantitative psychology colleague at UVa from 1997 until his retirement.  He was a fabulous mentor and colleague, whose interactions with me were always witty as well as filled with wisdom.  When he departed for the day to return home, he would often lean into my office door and say to me, “Carry on, but not too much!”.   The photo of Jack McArdle, me, and John was taken around 2002, during a quantitative area celebration.  His presence will be missed, but his kindness and warm demeanor will be always remembered.

- Professor Karen Schmidt, University of Virginia

* * * * *

I am very saddened by John's passing.  For me, beyond an exceptional scholar, he was also a rare and true example of a world-class scientist who had a very big heart for as well as helped so many researchers, particularly those (and not only) in relatively early stages of their professional career.  I do not know of anyone else who has been so helpful and effective in doing it!
Rest in peace, John!

- Tenko Raykov

* * * * *

So very sorry to hear the news.  He was one of the most compassionate people you could ever hope to meet and work alongside. 

- Tom Paskus, Ph.D., Managing Director of Research, NCAA

* * * * *

Richard Lerner, Paul Baltes & JRN

When I learned of John's passing, I wrote an email to the scores of colleagues of John who I knew shared my admiration and live for him. I wrote: Dear Colleagues. It is with deep sorrow that I write to note the passing of a dear friend, colleague, mentor, and one of history's most accomplished and significant developmental scientists, John Nesselroade. John was a wise, warm, humorous, creative, kind, humble, and creative and brilliant scholar. His work has shaped and continues to shape theory and research across at least three generations of developmental scientists. His contributions to the life-span developmental perspective, to developmental methodology, and to understanding adult development and aging stand as historically important and, in fact, foundational to what are today the cutting-edges of each of these domains of scholarship. John's mentorship positively shaped my career and, quite literally, the careers of hundreds of other colleagues and former students. John, with colleagues such as Peter Molenaar, Nilam Ram, Ellen Hamaker, Steve Boker, and many, many others, championed a person-specific, non-ergodic approach to human development. He also championed integrity, decency, and a belief in the importance of good science and of the need for true community within the concept of a scientific community. He and his family were important part of the lives of all that knew them. Having John in my life was a special gift. He has been my model as a developmental scientist and as a person for 50 years. His memory will be cherished by everyone who was fortunate enough to share their lives with him. Warmest regards, Rich

- Richard Lerner, Tufts University

* * * * *

 JRN, Jungmeen Kim-Spoon, Jack McArdle, and Kevin Grimm, at the American Psychological Association Advanced Training Institute in 2005 that John and Jack hosted

Having had John as my graduate mentor is the best blessing in my professional life. I thank God for him. I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to know him, learn from him, and received the finest quantitative training at UVa. He was my role model as a scientist, possessing the most admirable qualities, including extraordinary intelligence, hard work, integrity, humility, and a big heart. One memory I have is of John writing mathematical formulas on a napkin during a dinner gathering at his home. His brilliant mind never stopped working! He was a kind, caring, generous, and patient mentor. I defended my dissertation late July in 1998, while John was spending a sabbatical year in Berlin. He flew back for the defense meeting and made sure to host a party at his home to celebrate afterward. I fondly remember my regular meetings with John during grad school. I looked forward to these meetings. He not only had solutions to my problems but also made our conversations enjoyable with his great sense of humor. He was always (with zero intraindividual variability) available and approachable to his students and a gifted mentor/teacher who knew how to build them up respecting their interindividual differences. Now that I am a mentor to graduate students, whenever I face challenging situations, I ask myself "what would John do here?" John has been my "secure base" - one I turn to when I need advice, wisdom, and encouragement. And he will always be in my spirit.

- Jungmeen Kim-Spoon, Professor of Psychology, Virginia Tech

* * * * *

The day that we lost John was the day of loss for quantitative psychology and the community. Not only was John a legend, a founding father, a lighthouse whose impact on quantitative psychology and the world was immeasurable, he was one of the kindest, caring, and most inspirational people I have ever met. I was fortunate to have constant interactions with John during his later years at UVa while I was pursuing my PhD degree. Not only was John extremely supportive of my and other graduate students’ research work, he would generously share with us his insights when we needed them but never tried to dominate the conversation. I was largely inspired by John who was not only a scholarly giant but also a senior who was remarkably humble, approachable, and caring. After I delivered the second baby in Charlottesville (who had a close birth date to John’s), John sent me a personal, warm, and encouraging message, welcoming the baby while acknowledging the challenges I was facing to balance family and graduate school. It saddens me that I could never hear John’s gentle, encouraging voice and see his warm smile, but his legacy will continue to inspire and guide us, and the memory of him will always hold a place in my heart.

 Rest in peace, John!

- Dingjing Shi, a former graduate student from the University of Virginia, now an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma

* * * * *

Ulman Lindenberger, JRN, Jack McArdle & Paul Baltes

I got to know John in the mid 80s at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development while working on my diploma thesis under the supervision of Michael Chapman and Paul Baltes. It was summer, and John was a visiting scientist at the Institute. In my thesis, I compared Piagetian and psychometric conceptions of intelligence. My sample size was 120, and I wanted to run a factor analysis, my first one ever. I dared to enter John’s room and asked him my first question: “Dr. Nesselroade, do you think 120 subjects are enough to run these analyses? And, if not, how many subjects would I need?” He looked at me, and responded with one word: “More.” I was a bit confused about the answer, and asked: “How many more?”. He looked at me again, and ended the conversation: “More. You always need more.” I had entered the office expecting a number, and left it with a response that made me question any firm answer to questions about sample size. And of course I ran the factor analysis, and proudly showed him my results. He just smiled.
 
Years later, I was working on sample selectivity in the Berlin Aging Study. I had been struggling for weeks with various meanings of generalization and representativeness, and had become increasingly dissatisfied with what I was doing, and with the direction the field had taken. One day, I was waiting in line at the Institute’s cafeteria, and shared my observations with John who was also standing in line. He said: “Have you ever taken a look at the Pearson-Lawley selection formulae?” This remark was an eye-opener, and eventually allowed me to arrive at a principled understanding of selection that has served me ever since.
 
So what I wish to say is that John’s remarks often had the qualities of an oracle. They were full of wisdom and insight, but they required the recipient to think hard for their potential to unfold. John did not to hand out recipes for success but food for thought. I feel immensely privileged to belong to the cohort that experienced him as a mentor and fatherly friend.

- Ulman Lindenberger

Edit. Note: Prof. Dr. Lindenberger wrote a laudatio on the occasion of the 2010 conferral of JRN's honorary doctorate from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. It is published in the LIFE newsletter and can be read here: https://www.imprs-life.mpg.de/in-memoriam/nesselroade

* * * * *

Thank you, John, for all that you taught me and many other students at UVa. You taught us very well in the usual "classroom" ways, but also in that rare way by modeling the purest kind of intellectual and interpersonal generosity. I owe to you much of what I have come to understand about developing humans, and about being good humans.

- Kirby Deater-Deckard, PhD (UVa, 1994), professor, UMass Amherst

* * * * *

I would have had a very different career pathway had it not been JRN. For years in graduate school I had always thought that life as an academic was out of reach.

I voiced my hesitation to JRN, to which he responded, “What would you rather be as an alternative?”

“Perhaps a yoga teacher, I am not sure,” I thought in my head, too embarrassed to say it out loud. “I am not sure. I don’t think I have a good plan B. You think I should give academia a shot?”

JRN assured me, probably just as he did to so many of his mentees, that he thought I would enjoy it, and it would be a loss to the field if I didn’t -- adding his signature wink for emphasis. Feeling over the roof and beyond flattered, I took his recommendation and applied for academic jobs. The rest was history – well, not quite.

When I was about to fly out to my first academic job interview, JRN asked me if I felt ready. “I suppose so,” I said unconvincingly. He then asked, “You have a suit to wear to your interviews?” I thought to myself, resisting an eyeroll, “Of all the things in the world!” Though I had my moments of questionable wardrobe choices, I felt somewhat reassured that this was JRN’s only point of concern over my pending interviews.

I am glad that JRN knew me better than I knew myself. I am so thankful for having crossed paths with JRN, Carolyn, and his loving family. Beyond the warp and woof of lifespan development, dynamic factor analysis, and idiographic filters, I am forever grateful for the wisdom and insights shared by JRN over the years, including the encouragement to be the best that I can be, and to know that sometimes that is simply good enough.

- Sy-Miin Chow, a former graduate student from the University of Virginia, currently Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University

* * * * *

I am deeply sorry to learn about the passing of John Nesselroade. This is really sad news.
 
John Nesselroade clearly belongs to the most impressive and most inspiring scientists I ever had the chance to meet in person. Still today, I can vividly remember how I felt, when I heard him taking about the idea of ideographic filters for the first time. It was such an eye-opening talk, especially his example of calculating the volume of bodies. 
 
I entered LIFE at a time, when John and Paul Baltes were still active. I always admired the way John commented on talks and presentations: With crystal-clear and sharp thoughts but at the same time polite and gentle to the highest degree. He was, and still is, a role model to me in this regard.
 
During my time as Fellow in LIFE, we did not yet have the Commencement events. But at my last academy in 2006, that took place in Charlottesville, I was introduced to John as a soon-to-finish PhD student (ok, it took slightly longer until 2009 …). And John shook my hand and welcomed me into science and the LIFE family. In my memory, I will always remember this event as my Commencement.

- Markus Werkle-Bergner, Senior Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin

* * * * *

John touched so many lives. He was the best--some memories: this huge-hearted, intellectually vibrant full-sized man driving around in his tiny little Corvette sports car with his email handle (jrn8z) for license plates, his bringing the LIFE Academy--an amazing international supplementary graduate training program--to UVA, and of course, his monumental contributions to the field in how we think about and analyze development. He was such a mentor, always so supportive - he will be much much missed.

- Angeline Lillard, UVa

* * * * *

John was large in stature physically and in academic accomplishments, but distinctly unpretentious. He had the ability to make others feel valued. Who else, but John, would go out of his way to stop by my office just to say hello and to ask how I was doing? Also, John has my deepest respect as one of the few professors of my age or older whom I have known who was also a military veteran. A Marine Corp sticker was proudly affixed to his Corvettes. I am grateful to have known John. The world would be a better place if there were more people like him.

- James Freeman Psychology Professor Emeritus University of Virginia

* * * * *

Dr. John Nesselroade's mentorship of my own dissertation advisor, Dr. Karen Hooker, had a lasting impact on Karen and I. John's generous help in guiding my dissertation work to successful publication was truly incredible and greatly appreciated.

- Kim Shifren, Towson University

* * * * *

John was a teacher of mine when I completed my Ph.D. degree at Penn State from 1987 to 1991. I took several classes from him, including a one-semester class on factor analysis, and he was one of the best teachers I ever had the privilege to be taught by. I also sought his consultation a number of times when I worked on my dissertation and ran into some methodological problems. He was always patient, full of knowledge, and encouraging. He treated me more like an equal than a student. However, what was most important, John was the ultimate professional role model and someone whose wisdom was more than just substantive knowledge. When I was an assistant professor, I sought his advice multiple times and, again, he was generous with his time and always helpful--easily admitting that he may not have a perfect answer. I tried to follow in his footsteps in my career, but I don't know whether I ever got close. Finally, to show how far-reaching John's influence was in the field and on our own careers, my colleagues Dr. Karen Hooker, Dr. Martin Sliwinski, and I put together the "Handbook of Intraindividual Variability across the Life Span," which was published in 2015. We dedicated this volume to John to honor his far-reaching contributions to the field of developmental methodology and life span psychology. We were honored that John wrote the Forword for this volume. I feel deeply grateful having known John and having had him as a teacher. I will miss him very much. Manfred Diehl P.S.: My wife, Lise Youngblade, and I became friends with John and Carolyn over the years and one of the things I also will not forget is that John always asked first how Lise was doing. Never missed a beat.

- Manfred Diehl, Colorado State University

* * * * *

I wanted to share my brief remarks at Dr. Nesselroade's virtual tribute meeting 11/8/2024. John and Carolyn Nesselroade have meant the world to my wife (Ann Horgas) and I, and there are many stories I didn't include. But it has been a pleasure knowing both.

As for most of us, Dr. Nesselroade was a formative influence on me. As a doctoral student at Penn State, attracted there because it was the hub of life span psychology, I voraciously learned his lessons about factor analysis and multivariate change. As a burgeoning professional, I admired the way in which he conducted himself -- always respectful to students and colleagues, but always with that droll smile and delight. He was also a model for how to manage a balanced life where weekends might be filled with construction, a banjo pick was in his pocket, and he spoke with pride about his family. I'm sure many of us have heard the story of when his daughter invited a new boyfriend to a family dinner; John passed him a bowl of mashed potatoes with the warning, "This is the mashed potato test". The real test, of course, was how to manage the humor. I remember trying to sneak a private moment with my future wife in a quiet office at Penn State -- inappropriate, to be sure -- and he walked in. In his usual way, he twinkled and said "don't let me interrupt". We were mortified, learned an important professionalism lesson, but also felt his response was kind, leavened with humor. I was privileged to spend three years at the Max Planck Institute fuer Bildungsforschung in Berlin, and his annual visits were anticipated with great pleasure. During one of those visits, I was privileged to write a big chapter on Resilience with Ursula Staudinger and Paul Baltes. We asked if he would read the chapter and make comments. He agreed, but on a condition. We had to provide him with three pens: Green for Praise, Amber for Caution, and Red for Reconsider. True to his word, the chapter was marked in multiple colors, and the comments helped us to make a much better product. I also want to acknowledge another gift, which was Mrs. Carolyn Nesselroade. My doctoral mentor was Sherry Willis, and Carolyn worked as the Project Coordinator for her projects. As a graduate student, data collection meant driving all across rural Pennsylvania -- sometimes two hours in one direction -- with Carolyn at the wheel of a University fleet car. The belly laughs, the stories, the encouragement of dreams. I got to see Carolyn do a one woman show as Emily Dickinson, and she got to supervise me on a data collection in Florida when an eccentric postdoc with back pain asked me to walk on her back. Belly laughs day after day. To this day, John influences my daily life. In research, our work consistently examines interindividual differences in change, intraindividual variability. In teaching, to this day, my conceptual introduction to factor analysis to students draws on the foundations he set. My gratitude to him is deep, and he will be much missed. 

- Michael Marsiske, University of Florida