Douglas Candland

Photo: Emily Paine

Candland was instrumental in establishing the animal behavior program and laboratories at Bucknell, which provided many generations of students the opportunity to study primate behavior. Housing groups of rare and sometimes threatened species allowed students to observe behavior that had not been previously documented.

Throughout his career, Candland published approximately 100 research papers, many of which included student collaborators as co-authors. His legacy as a teacher-scholar continues via the Douglas K. Candland Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. The position was established by his former student Glen Tullman ’81.

Candland wrote several books, including Psychology: The Experimental Approach (1968), which served as a text for schools offering courses in experimental psychology. His book Feral Children and Clever Animals: Reflections on Human Nature (1993) found a broad audience outside academics and led to extensive media coverage. He appeared in documentary films and television segments produced by the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ABC and CBS, among others, in which he shared his expertise on animal behavior, animal rights and the history of human interactions with animals.

After retiring from Bucknell in 2002, Candland remained an active contributor to his field, serving as editor of the Review of General Psychology for 12 years, providing television commentary in Africa, Europe and the United States, and reviewing books for Phi Beta Kappa’s The Key Reporter and the American Psychological Association’s PsycCRITIQUES.

Candland is survived by his sons, Kevin and Christopher Candland; their spouses; and three granddaughters.

A celebration of life for Candland will be held Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts.