Wayne Perry Anderson

He is survived by his wife Carla, brother Lester Anderson, four daughters Jerilyn (Les) Hahn, Debra (Steve Bourque) Anderson, Rosalyn (John) Anderson-Harper and Stephanie (Ron) Stegall, ten grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and in-laws. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Leonard, and sisters Blanche, Gladys, and Vivian.

He was born December 6, 1929, to Victor Emanuel Anderson and Clara Alvina Carlson during a North Dakota blizzard in a cook car just before the Great Depression. A cook car was a rail car that had been pushed off the tracks and made into a home.

As a child, Wayne accumulated a comic book collection, traded it for a boat, in which he and his younger brother, Lester rowed up the James River. He loved the outdoors, was a voracious reader, and an avid movie fan. He was a golden glove boxer in his youth and a life-long jogger and walker.

Wayne began higher education at Jamestown College after realizing manual labor was an unpalatable means of earning a living for him. There he met the love of his life, Carla Lee Erickson. They both graduated with Bachelors degrees in 1952 and married in December. Carla said of him, “What appealed to me was his spontaneous sense of humor, and underneath that, his genuine good-heartedness.” Together they raised their four daughters and embraced 67 years of marriage in their loving and equal partnership.

Wayne continued his graduate education at the University of North Dakota and received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He and Carla then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and Perry Point, Maryland, where Wayne was a Veterans Administration hospital psychologist for seven years. He maintained a relationship with the VA as consultant for 19 years while pursuing further education and his career path. Wayne and his family settled in Columbia where he took a position at the University of Missouri. During his tenure at the University of Missouri, he took sabbaticals to teach with the U.S. Air Force in Europe. He took the family with him to live in six countries, opening up the world to them.

Throughout Wayne’s life, accepting mentors and mentoring others was a key theme. He credited one of his mentors at the University of North Dakota with advice on completing his doctoral studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he later took a position and enjoyed a 32-year career as professor of psychology in the Psychology Department. Professor Anderson taught undergraduate and graduate courses, and supervised interns and practicum students. He was also a Counseling Psychologist at the Counseling Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he worked with a variety of clients.

Dr. Anderson had a great passion for teaching and helping young people develop their potential as others had done for him. He had small student lunch groups weekly to make connections and mentor students. He received numerous awards for teaching excellence and was a recipient of the first set of ten William T. Kemper Teaching Fellow Awards in 1991, the Purple Chalk Award in 1988 for outstanding undergraduate teaching, and the Gold Chalk Award in 1990 for outstanding graduate teaching.

Dr. Anderson was a Licensed Psychologist, fellow of the American Psychological Association and a Diplomat of the American Board of Assessment Psychology. He co-authored six books and 85 professional journal articles, and directed 37 Ph.D. dissertations.

Dr. Anderson retired from the university in 1995 and took the opportunity to redirect his energies. He chose travel, writing, teaching, humanitarian volunteer work, and engaging with friends. He said, " I can't think of anyone who has had a more adventurous and interesting 25 years of retirement." He used these adjectives to describe himself: Traveler, Learner, Teacher, Humanitarian, Philanthropist, and Friend.

Dr. Anderson had a strong desire to continue using his skills to help others and create safe havens. He was a valued team member of the International Center for Psychosocial Trauma, where he trained teachers, physicians and mental health workers to help with healing traumatized children. He made 24 international trips with the team and seven trips within the U.S., including after Katrina and the Oklahoma City bombing. He was recognized with their Humanitarian Award in 2009.

A life-long learner, he had a sense of awe and wonder about the world right up until the end. He loved new information, and anticipated each new advancement technology would bring about.

He marveled at the huge technological, social, and cultural change he witnessed in his lifetime. "When I was a kid in Jamestown, North Dakota, my family lived on the side of town with outdoor toilets, a pump for water and a kerosene lamp for light. I dreamed that someday I might eventually be lucky enough to take a trip to Fargo. To my surprise I have been able to travel to sixty-four countries." During Wayne and Carla’s lifetime travels, they explored 65 of the 100 greatest wonders of the world. They were active participants in the Road Scholar programs.

Wanting to share his adventures with others, Dr. Anderson "…magically found a job as a travel writer for the Columbia Daily Tribune." He wrote articles for the newspaper, including a weekly Venture Bound column from 1998 to 2020. As his articles became more numerous, he collected them with unpublished stories into over 17 books.

Wayne had an active social and volunteer life in retirement, as well as continuing to teach courses at Columbia College and MU Honor College. He was an active member of Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia and involved in their Forum, Men's Breakfast Group, Book Club, and Dinner Club. He was a member of the Scandinavia Society and the MU Retirees Association. He and Carla, as volunteers, enlightened and entertained the over-fifty crowd with programs at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMC. His active life and contributions to society were recognized by the University of Jamestown in 2000 when he was inducted into their Alumni Hall of Fame, an honor he was very proud of.

In a published interview he stated, "We've done all of these important things, we've had all of these honors–but what's the biggest thing in our life? Our daughters." Wayne was a loving and engaged father. He valued time with family and was always willing to play. Being a professor allowed him time with his four daughters.

Family vacations were an annual occurrence. He provided "Bravery Training" for all of his girls to become independent and assertive women. He didn't want them to be afraid of the world and wanted them to feel in control.

Always ahead of his time, Wayne learned to cook when Carla went back to school for her Ph.D. so his family wouldn't have to eat bologna sandwiches every day. He ended up becoming a gourmet cook and bread baker. Time together at family dinners was sacred, and there was always a dictionary nearby for improving their vocabulary. His family has many fond memories of him baking bread and family time in the kitchen and dining room. Cooking for others became a way of sharing and showing love.

Wayne said, "I look back on my life and think 'That's unbelievable!' I did not plan it this way."

A memorial Celebration of Life service will occur in the future when a viable date can be set.

The family wishes to thank BLJ Homecare, specifically Sonya Johnson and Shahaira Edwards, and Compassus Hospice for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Dr. Wayne and Dr. Carla Anderson Endowed Scholarship, University of Jamestown, 6082 College Lane, Jamestown, ND 58405, or Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, 344 Hearnes Center, Columbia, MO 65211, or the UU Church of Columbia, 2615 Shepard Blvd., Columbia, MO 65201.