Words by Professor Julie Fitness

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Emeritus Professor Jacqueline Goodnow (BA Sydney; PhD Harvard; DSc Macquarie) on Tuesday 24 June.

Professor Goodnow served as an Associate Professor in Macquarie’s School of Education between 1972-1976 and as Professor in the School of Psychology between 1976-1990. She then held the position of Professorial Research Fellow (Emeritus Professor), Psychology, in the School of Behavioural Sciences and later, the Division of Linguistics and Psychology/Faculty of Human Sciences.

Professor Goodnow was a pioneering developmental psychologist with particular research interests in the ways in which parents and family members understand their roles and obligations, and on the influence of socio-cultural contexts on aspects of child development. She was also recognised for her innovative work on children’s drawing.

Over the course of her eminent career, Professor Goodnow received numerous prestigious awards, including the G. Stanley Hall Award for distinguished contributions to developmental psychology, received from the American Psychological Association (1990); the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Child Development from the Society for Research in Child Development, USA (1997); and the Australian Psychological Society’s Award for distinguished contributions to research in psychology (1997). She was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences, and the American Psychological Association included her in a list of Distinguished Women in Psychology in 1992, the same year that she received the Award of Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Over the last few years Professor Goodnow was an active researcher and mentor in the Institute of Early Childhood’s Children and Families Research Centre, and at the time of her death (aged 89 years) was still publishing in the field of developmental psychology.
Emeritus Professor Goodnow will be greatly missed.  Her contribution to the field of developmental psychology will have an enduring influence.

A private funeral will be held.  Please contact either Professors Julie Fitness (julie.fitness@mq.edu.au) or Professor Janet Greeley (janet.greeley@mq.edu.au)  for contact details to send condolences to the family.