Austin Jackson Jernigan (1921-2008)

• Published in: The American psychologist Vol. 64; no. 1; p. 49
• Main Authors: Robinowitz, Ralph, Penk, Walter E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Psychological Association 01-01-2009
• Series: Obedience-Then and Now
• Subjects: Clinical Psychologists; Clinical Psychology; History of Psychology; Human; Male; Military Veterans
• ISBN: 1433804697; 9781433804694
• ISSN: 0003-066X; 1935-990X
• DOI: 10.1037/a0014362

Austin Jackson Jernigan (Sr.), a pioneer clinical psychologist with a major impact on the development of psychology in Texas, died at his home in McKinney, Texas, on March 9, 2008. During World War II, his military service heightened his interest in pursuing a career in psychology. His book Selecting the Best: World War II Army Air Forces Aviation Psychology (2003) is a description of his military work in the aviation selection program. Following his military discharge, he completed the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Kentucky. Soon after, he joined the first psychology staff at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in Waco, Texas, led by Ruth Hubbard. While there, he and Verner Baugh developed a group assessment battery and group psychotherapy programs for long-term psychiatric patients. Jernigan also initiated a training program for doctoral students from APA-approved programs at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston. Jernigan became a charter member and early president of the Dallas Psychological Association, and he then served on the first state self-certification board, which functioned until licensure became a reality some years later. During his retirement years, he provided counsel to the clergy working with young people in his church and remained an active writer, publishing several books. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)