Our dad was amazing! He had many accomplishments and touched the lives of many, through his teaching, bicycling, and music. He was a devoted husband and father.

Here is some of his story....

Howard Frederick Gallup, (1927-2020) was born in New London, Connecticut and grew up in Newark, New Jersey, which might account for his zestful, do-it-yourself approach to so much in his life. His father, Wallace L. Gallup, a Presbyterian minister, passed on to Howard his attentiveness to his low-income parishioners and to the general need for equal rights for minorities. Howard’s mother was Edna E. Ketcham Gallup. Howard had one older sister, Edith W. Gallup Specht, who predeceased him. Howard enlisted in the Navy just at the end of World War II. Trained in airplane mechanics, he maintained the Navy’s aircraft.

Howard, who loved learning, attended Rutgers University as an undergraduate. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. A dedicated student, Howard was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society.

Howard first taught at Hobart College. In 1958, he became a professor at Lafayette College in Easton PA, where he taught experimental psychology for 37 years. He retired from his post as Chair of the Psychology Department at Lafayette in 1995. During the 1970’s, he was a visiting professor at Hampshire College in MA, and at Evergreen State College, WA.

During his academic career, Howard wrote a well-received and popular textbook for undergraduate psychology students, An Invitation to Modern Psychology (1969). Fascinated by theories of teaching, while teaching at Lafayette College he promoted a type of self-paced learning called the Keller Plan of Personalized Learning Instruction (PSI).

Howard met the love of his life, Frances (Kris) W. Platt, on a blind date. When he brought her back to her family’s home after their second date, he saw the Gilbert and Sullivan score for Pirates of Penzance on their piano. Having recently performed the lead role, Howard began to play and sing the score. His passion for music enchanted Kris, and he was equally thrilled that she also entertained a love for music. They fell in love on the spot, he used to say, and were married in 1949.

Kris was a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Howard joined the Society of Friends, an affiliation he maintained for the rest of his life. Howard and Kris Gallup were married for over 70 years, until her death in January 2020. They had three loving children and in-laws: son Joshua S. Gallup and his wife Josie, son Bradford K. Gallup and his wife Lei, and daughter Sharrene P. Gallup, who predeceased Howard and Kris. He had three grandsons, one step-grandson, four great granddaughters and a great grandson. Howard had many nieces and nephews: his sister Edith Specht’s three children, and Kris’s sister Helen Hollingsworth’s seven children. Carol Hollingsworth Gruenburg, and her husband Drew unfailingly drove north from Virginia to visit Howard and Kris at least once a month until stopped by the spread of Coronavirus.

Howard maintained a renaissance passion for many fields. He was an avid classical pianist; Chopin was his most beloved composer. He ran a music concert series at Kirkland Village, where he and Kris lived in their retirement. Howard gave his own classical piano concerts for the residents and frequently played popular tunes at Kirkland’s Happy Hour.

His love of bicycling and mechanics led Howard to work for Tomias Hinchcliff at Genesis Bicycles, a store he cofounded in 1974. At the shop, Howard worked there for many years, repairing bikes and leading 100-mile bicycle rides for the surrounding community. He logged in over 85,000 personal miles.

In addition to bicycling, Howard loved photography. He and Kris took yearly road trips across the United States to visit their sons in California. Howard was proud of visiting, photographing, and bicycling in each of the lower 48 States, and in Canada, too, but he always said Yosemite was his favorite spot to visit.

The photos we posted here show a little of the many parts of both Howard and Kris' life. The three Youtube videos are some of their favorite pieces of classical music that Howard used to play at home and during concerts. Enjoy.