In Memory

From a note From a note to the MAPP Alumni from James Pawelski dated March 18, 2015:

Dear MAPP Alumni,

It is with sadness that I write with the news that Ray Fowler passed away last night.  Positive psychology has lost a great leader, and MAPP has lost an amazing teacher and supporter.

Ray was the CEO of the American Psychological Association when Marty was president, and he helped with the launching of positive psychology.  Ray spoke on the very first day of MAPP in the Fall of 2005, and he was a much-beloved instructor in MAPP 700 in some years.  It was at his suggestion that the International Positive Psychology Association was founded, and he worked hard to help it get launched successfully.

He was a warm and caring person, an inspiration, mentor, teacher, and friend to many, many people around the world during his long and fruitful life.

Thank you, Ray.  May you rest in peace.

James

Lucy Hone is from the MAPP.5 class. She is a powerful force not only for positive psychology, but also for positive health which is the focus of her PhD. She is working very hard to spread positive psychology in the NZ community. Any death is, of course, a tragedy, but that it should happen so suddenly to someone so young and from such a positive vibrant family is heartbreaking on many levels. I know our thoughts and hearts go out to Lucy, her husband Trevor, and their family at this time. 

Another family was also impacted by the tragedy as Abigail was in a friend's car at the time. Abigail's 12 yr old friend, Ella Yasmin Summerfield, and her mother were also killed. Ella and Abigail are "the two gorgeous girls" in the article that appeared in The Press, press.co.nz.  The father of the other family was driving and is in hospital. It appears that the crash was entirely bad luck and the responsibility of the other driver who ran a stop sign at a very high speed. The car that Abigail was in was driving at the speed limit and all were wearing seatbelts. It's truly a horrific tragedy.