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Florence Ladd
Ladd grew up in Washington, DC. Her father was clerk of the Board of Education. When her mother took additional courses to prepare to be a special education teacher, Ladd typed her term papers. This sparked her interest in psychology. She graduated from Howard University in 1953 with a degree in psychology. She spent her junior year in France and Switzerland studying psychological testing procedures. "It was at that point in my life that I had my first interaction with white students," Ladd remarked. Ladd did graduate work at the University of Rochester, receiving a Ph.D. in social psychology in 1958. Ladd taught psychology at Simmons College, and did research at a hospital for the elderly in Framingham. When her husband received a Fulbright Scholarship, Ladd went with him to Turkey. She taught at Robert College and the American College for Girls in Istanbul. By the time she returned to the U.S. in 1964 she wanted to combine psychology with environmental studies. She received a certificate in community psychiatry in 1965. The courses she taught at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and Graduate School of Design from 1965 to 1977 reflected this joint interest.
After leaving Wellesley College Ladd was associate executive director of Oxfam America and liaison to the United Nations, and served as a consultant to the Institute of International Education's South African Education Program. In 1989 she became the director of the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College, a post she held until 1997 Ladd published her first novel, Sarah's Psalm, in 1996. It received the Literary Award for Best Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. For reviews of this book go to http://www.bkstore.com/harvard/fac/ladd.html Ladd has served as trustee of the National Council for Research on Women, Bentley College, Hampshire College and Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. She also has been an overseer of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and WGBH.
Written by Wilma Slaight
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Noted psychologist, teacher, administrator, and author,
Florence Ladd, is Wellesley's Person of the Week.
In 1977 Ladd shifted her focus to administration, working
as assistant, then associate, dean at the M.I.T. School of Architecture
and Planning. From 1979 to 1984 she served as Dean of Students at
Wellesley College. When Ladd was ready to embark on a new venture,
President Keohane noted she had strengthened the ties between Wellesley
and M.I.T. "She has brought comfort and guidance to numerous students
who were worried or anxious; she has pointed the way to new directions
and worthwhile destinations for many of us at the College, in new
programs, innovative activities, interesting solutions to familiar
problems. She remained … especially sensitive to the importance
of including all members of this community in the life of Wellesley.
She has stood sturdily for things in which she believes, including
social justice and action, democratic procedures, and community
consultation (as in Town Meeting), a feminist living cooperative
(as in Oakwoods), and the recognition of the accomplishments of
all students in their diverse curricular and extracurricular roles
at Wellesley."
