2010 Outstanding Career Award Winner: Sally Rhine Feather
Published by
Parapsychological Association
on
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
As the oldest daughter of JB and Louisa E. Rhine, I practically grew up in the early Duke Lab, where I assisted in various aspects of the research for many years before and after college and grad school. When I finally realized as a young adult that I was not suited for full-time research in that era, I switched to a career in clinical psychology that I pursued for 30 years. Actually my real career in parapsychology did not begin until 1995 when I got re-involved on a voluntary basis in the administrative aspects of the Rhine Research Center, working in nearly all areas of its operation over the subsequent years. I helped revive our collection and study of spontaneous psi reports, co-authored a popular book to highlight ESP experiences, and helped initiate the highly popular Psychic Experience Group. Together we have seen to the continued publication of the Journal of Parapsychology and initiated a Rhine Online news-magazine. We have also developed a self-supporting series of talks and workshops on psi-related topics that features many of the outstanding scientists and scholars of the field and, most importantly, we have seen our research production begin to grow with additional staff, new grants, and regular team meetings. Pilot work has been done for the first online educational courses to begin in early 2011 with a goal of an expanded educational program in the future. In summary, I feel my major career accomplishment has been to attract a community of passionate volunteers who along with part-time staff and a supportive board have worked well together to make possible these and many other achievements. We are optimistic that we have now developed a solid basis that will allow the Rhine Center to continue its revitalization and growth and thereby meet the mission envisioned by its original founders, to which we still subscribe today.