In Memoriam: Doris Bergen, Researcher, Mentor, and Advocate

Doris Bergen, Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology Emerita, died 5 July 2023, after a short illness. She was 91. Professor Bergen was a valuable researcher, mentor, and advocate of play. She believed that play was a universal human phenomenon involving adults as well as children.

Doris was born in 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in Bucyrus, was a first-generation college student attending Heidelberg College and Ohio State College. She earned her PhD in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University.

Doris was former Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Pittsburgh State University as well as Wheelock College in Boston. From 1988 to her retirement in 2013, she taught at Miami University. Bergen’s work as a professor at Miami University contributed to advancing brain development in young children, earning her recognition and numerous honors. Although she received critical acclaim for publishing 12 books and over 150 journal articles and book chapters, she was most pleased when Miami University renamed the Center for Human Development, Learning, and Technology to the Doris Bergen Center for Human Development, Learning, and Technology (CHDLT). CHDLT opened in 1990 to establish interdisciplinary collaborations among Miami University’s faculty from a variety of disciplines. Doris’ scholarship involved an interdisciplinary approach to play and advocacy related to children, youth, and families.

At Miami, Doris and the CHDLT faculty established and supported mental health programs and programs for children and families of the incarcerated. She established a preschool, Miami University Child Development Center and the Hamilton Tree Advisory Board.

Doris was a researcher with interests in play and humor in early and middle childhood, the effects of technology-enhanced toys, pretend play, the social interactions of children with special needs, humor development in gifted children, and cross-cultural considerations in play. She was always available to read drafts of manuscripts and provide mentoring for her colleagues and fellow play scholars. Her collected works, papers and research on children’s play are a key element of the Archives of the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

During Doris’ career she was recognized by numerous national and local organizations. In 2000, the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE) named her Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator. The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) recognized her for outstanding member service in 2003. Doris was presented the Brian Sutton Smith award for her outstanding accomplishments related to an interdisciplinary approach to play scholarship at the 44th International Conference of the Association for the Study of Play (TASP) in 2018. In 2019, she was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame, acknowledging the many contributions to her field even beyond the age of 60.

In an interview with the American Journal of Play in 2016, she stated, ‘I have been a promoter of play all my life.’ All who knew Doris have as their lasting memory her eternal optimism and refusal to give up, her ability to help others convert frustration into positive resolve and action and despair into power and light. She used her cheer, sparkle and engaging playful way effectively in numerous organizations and venues to motivate so many on behalf of policies surrounding children and adults. Doris’ perseverance and positive outlook remind us all to keep alive our passions and efforts on behalf of play scholarship.