In Memoriam
Margaret C. Wang (1938-2000)

Margaret C. Wang, Founder and Director of Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education, Distinguished University Professor, and Professor of Educational Psychology, died at her home in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, on November 22, 2000.Dr. Wang was born in Chungking, now Chongquing, China, and came to the United States from Taiwan to attend Carlow College, Pittsburgh, from which she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education in 1960. A year later she received a M.S. in Early Childhood Education from St. John's University. She was awarded the Ph.D. in Child Development and Educational Research in 1968 from the University of Pittsburgh, where she joined the faculty and taught until 1986, when she joined the faculty at Temple University. She also taught school in Camden, NJ, public schools in 1961-1963.

A nationally recognized authority on urban and rural school reform, Dr. Wang's contributions to the profession are multiform. She had authored over fifty articles in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored at least twice as many more, and edited or co-edited over twenty books. In 1992, her book, Adaptive Education Strategies: Building on Diversity, was published. In addition to her numerous publications, Dr. Wang served as a reviewer for ten professional journals and served as editor or in an advisory capacity for fifteen others. She served on many special commissions and professional committees, and also acted as a grant referee for the Department of Education.

Dr. Wang received many honors during her career. She was a fellow of the American Psychological Association, and in 1973 received the prestigious Spencer Fellowship of the National Academy of Education. In 1989, she was holder of the Matthew J. Guglielmo Chair of the California State University. In 1991, the Temple University General Alumni Association awarded her the Russell H. Conwell Award for Distinguished Service, and she was named a member of the International Academy of Education in 1997. The President and Trustees of Temple University named her Distinguished University Professor, the University's highest honor, awarded to only five other faculty since 1983.

Dr. Wang had suffered from an illness for some time, but over the last year, and indeed, almost until the day of her death, she remained active and thoroughly involved in the work of improving education and in the business of the Center she founded. She exhorted those who worked with her always to "remember the big picture." It is in her memory that we will continue to do just that—she would expect no less.