Monday, March 20, 2017
Dick King was a very special person whom it was our privilege to know for almost 45 years. He and Margy befriended us on our arrival in Chapel Hill in 1973, and have been faithful friends ever since. We are deeply grateful.
Dick was a professor in the classic mold, combining excellence in research, teaching, and service. He was a pioneer in studying what would now be called the neuroscience of memory, and he made a long series of contributions to the scientific literature. But it was as a teacher that Dick most excelled. He taught students about psychology, and he taught them how to reason scientifically, separating fact from theory. In Introductory Psychology, the course with which he is most closely associated, he marked off a square on the classroom floor, about two feet on a side, with bright yellow tape. As he walked around at the front of the class, Dick would explain experimental findings to the students; but when he stepped into the square, they knew that he was going to give his own opinions and theories about what those discoveries meant.
Dick loved his students and they loved him. Every year he taught hundreds, so a large proportion of the residents of Chapel Hill had eventually taken one of his courses. Walking with him on campus or along Franklin Street was always an interesting experience, because he would be stopped every minute or two by former students. They wanted to tell him how they were doing and how much they had benefitted from his class. Dick knew them all, wanted to hear their updated stories, and had a word of encouragement or congratulations for each of them.
Dick was a champion of the underdog. He always came to the aid of those he felt had been disadvantaged, whether the unfairness was at an individual or a societal level. This was most notable in his tireless work on behalf of Habitat. Dick was deeply committed to his religious faith, and believed also in the importance of science for human progress. Grounded in these certainties, and in the love of his dear family, Dick found joy in working to make the world a better place.
Mark and Eleanor Hollins
