Louis H. Janda
By Joe Garvey
Louis H. Janda, who taught for 42 years in the Psychology Department in the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University, died on March 24. He was 73.
Janda joined Old Dominion as an assistant professor in 1973 and was promoted to associate professor in 1980. During his tenure, he served as director of the master's program; director of clinical training for the Virginia Consortium for Professional Psychology; chair of the consortium's Admissions and Financial Aid Committee; chair of the Honors Program Committee in psychology, and director of the undergraduate specialty in clinical psychology.
He was awarded the title of Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychology in 2016.
Janda mentored many graduate students, guiding them through master's theses and dissertations. He published numerous journal articles, mostly focusing on psychology testing, human sexuality and challenges in coping with serious illness. He also wrote a number of books and published software for psychological testing.
Janda received a B.S. in psychology from Colorado State University in 1969, an M.A. in psychology from Arizona State University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Arizona State in 1972. He obtained his license as a clinical psychologist in 1982. Before joining ODU, he served as a psychology intern at the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.
Valerian Derlega, a former colleague, described Janda as "a warm and compassionate person."
"Lou was a dedicated instructor," added Michelle Kelley, chair of the Psychology Department. "I distinctly remember the last summer he taught here. He had been ill but was committed to his students and completing his summer course. However, his health issues would not allow him to drive to campus, and he would get dizzy if he stood too long. His son would drive him and drop him off at the back door of our building (Mills Godwin), where a staff member would assist him to his classroom. Literally, she would wheel him in a chair to his classroom down the hall. He loved teaching and was determined to finish his course."
Janda is survived by his wife, Tina, and sons, Chris and Michael Janda and Yutian Zhang.
The Cremation Society of Virginia is handling the arrangements.
