Former Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researcher Paul R. Dokecki, Ph.D., passed away on Sunday, Aug. 15, surrounded by his family at his home in Nashville. He was 82.
Dr. Dokecki was born on Mar. 17, 1939, in Brooklyn, NY, the son of the late Walter and Amy (Krieger) Dokecki. He married Katherine Laino on Aug. 18, 1962, in Brooklyn.
He graduated from Saint Augustine High School in Brooklyn in 1957 and from Manhattan College in the Bronx in New York City with an M.A. in Psychology in 1962. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Peabody College in 1968 and was a student of Rue Cromwell and Julius Seeman, with Nicholas Hobbs as a mentor.
Dr. Dokecki served as professor of Psychology at the University of Houston in Texas from 1967 to 1970. He returned to Peabody College from 1970 to 2018 as a professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University, with a joint appointment to the Divinity School. He was the director of the Demonstration and Research Center for Early Education (DARCEE) Program within the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center under researcher Susan Gray. He was also the director of the Community Research and Action doctoral program he developed with Bob Newbrough at Peabody College. He served as the president of the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate in the 1990s. He conducted extensive research on the Catholic Church and authored The Legacy of Nicholas Hobbs, The Tragi-Comic Professional, and The Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis. He co-authored Beyond the Asylum and Ethics of Dealing with Persons with Severe Handicaps.
He was a former board member of the National Catholic Education Association, and he was an active member of St. Henry's Church and more recently Christ the King Church. He was a lifelong jazz aficionado and drummer and most recently played with the Monday Night Jazz Band for over 15 years.
He is survived by his wife, Katherine Dokecki of Nashville; three daughters, Laura Behne (fiance, Brad Sitton) and Dianne Schwartz (Jesse) of Nashville, and Pamela Landes (David) of Saranac Lake, NY; and six grandchildren, Allison Peck (Cole) of Wylie, TX, Emily Ogden (Tyler) of Santa Fe, TN, Katherine Landes and Thomas Landes of Vienna, VA, and Brian Landes and Matthew Landes of Saranac Lake, NY.
For more information about scheduled memorial services, click here to visit Dr. Dokecki’s obituary in The Tennessean.
Last Updated: 8/20/2021 8:56:07 AM
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