Philip Ash Obituary

Ash, Philip of Blacksburg, Virginia, died at the age of 85 on June 14, 2002, after a brief illness. Dr. Ash was a well-known industrial psychologist who spent much of his professional life in the Chicago area before retiring to Virginia. While working at the Inland Steel Company, he played a major role in promoting and drafting legislation requiring the certification of psychologists in Illinois. In 1968 he became a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During his tenure there, Dr. Ash became very involved with the issue of how employment tests discriminate against African-Americans, and was a key expert witness in landmark litigation which ultimately resulted in court holings prohibiting discriminatory testing. After retiring from university life in 1980 he worked on developing tests which could assess the honesty of prospective employees for Reid Psychological Systems and London House, Inc. Among his many activities in professional organizations, Dr. Ash was elected president of the Chicago Psychological Society, the Illinois Psychological Association, the Division of Industrial Organizational Psychology of the American Psychological Association, and the Virginia Applied Psychology Academy. He authored over twenty monographs and books and contributed over fifty articles to professional journals. He is survived by his wife, Judith Nelson Cates, of Blacksburg, Virginia, his children Sharon Ash and Peter Ash, his step-son Nelson Cates, and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 30, 11:30 a.m. at the University Club in Blacksburg, VA. Visit our Guest Book at suntimes.com