Harvard Armus, a retired UT professor and a fixture in the university community for over half a century, died on May 29th at the age of 96. A professor of experimental psychology since 1960, he continued teaching classes well into his late 80s. He will be missed by his family, friends, and generations of UT students.
A child of Jewish immigrants from Europe, Harvey was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx. He graduated from NYU and Columbia before getting his PhD at the University of Iowa. He married Jean Armus (Weitzer) in 1952 and the couple lived in Indiana and Michigan before settling in Toledo where they raised their three children. Harvey taught psychology for decades—so long he frequently encountered, in his courses, the children and grandchildren of his former students. His research (which involved learning and the conditioning of simple life forms, including paramecium and even plants) kept him busy until his death. He also loved glass-blowing, reading, and gardening, but most of all travel with his wife Jean--a teacher of dyslexic children and adults and a local pioneer in that field. The couple travelled extensively –even relocating to London with their children in the early 1970s during a sabbatical from the University of Toledo.
He is survived by his daughter Sharon Armus (Marilyn) of Minneapolis and son Seth Armus (Daisy) of New York, as well as his four beloved grandchildren, David, Nathan, Benjamin, and Lilah. He was preceded in death by his wife Jean, who died in 2009 and his eldest son Mark, who died in 2004.
Services will be graveside on Sunday June 1st 11am at Beth Shalom Cemetery in Oregon Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in his name to J-Hap (Jewish Housing and Programming of Golden Valley, Minnesota) j-hap.org or the Jewish National Fund “Plant Trees in Israel in Memory” jnf.org/collections/in-memory
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Harvard L., please visit our floral store.
Harvard Armus, a retired UT professor and a fixture in the university community for over half a century, died on May 29th at the age of 96. A professor of experimental psychology since 1960, he continued teaching classes well into his late 80s. He will be missed by his family, friends, and generations of UT students.
Sunday, June 1, 2025
11:00 am
Beth Shalom Cemetery (Oregon, Ohio)
Oregon
Beth Shalom Cemetery (Oregon, Ohio)
Oregon