Frank M. Calabria, who taught psychology at Union for 24 years and had lifelong passions for creative teaching, ballroom dancing and classical guitar, died Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 at his Wendell Avenue home. He was 86.
Calabria was a charismatic professor whose creative teaching style often involved movement, and his classes were in high demand. Colleagues this week recalled his enthusiasm for involving students – and faculty – in experiential learning exercises that illustrated psychological principles.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York, and a Ph.D. degree from New York University. He taught at Albany State University and Russell Sage College before joining Union in 1966. He retired in 1989, but maintained a private practice in psychotherapy and continued to write for academic and popular audiences.
He wrote two books, "Dance of the Sleepwalkers" (1993, Bowling Green State University Popular Press) about the dance marathon fad of the 1920s and 1930s, and his memoir, "Let It Be Dance: My Life Story" (2001, Writers Club Press). He wrote an article, “The Dance Marathon Craze,” in the summer 1976 issue of the Journal of Popular Culture. As a popular young professor who was well in tune with student attitudes, he wrote a lengthy piece, “The College Scene: What’s Happening Now?” for the Fall 1967 edition of Symposium, then the College magazine.
Calabria met his wife, Angela, 54 years ago at the Byrnes & Swanson dance studio in his native Brooklyn, where he was a dance instructor and she, a student. He also taught ballroom dance at the local USO, Dance of America conventions and various studios.
The couple had a dance studio in their home, and they frequently gave demonstrations at College events. They were featured recently in a Times-Union profile video, available here.
Calabria served in World War II as an athletic instructor and was decorated with a victory medal, good conduct medal and American Theatre Service medal. As a child, he was confined to a wheelchair for a year, but as a teenager went on to start a body building club.
“Frank had such vitality and zest for life,” recalled Linda Stanhope, professor of psychology. “When I first came to Union, he used to stop by my office and tell me stories about what it was like to teach psychology during the 1960s and 70s, when he taught a popular course called 'Creativity' (which he taught in a very creative way). He really emphasized making his classes personally meaningful to the students, and always encouraged new faculty members to try to do the same, a lesson I took to heart. I will always remember Frank and his lovely wife, Angela, dancing at President Ainlay’s inaugural ball; they were a vision.”
“Frank was one of the people with whom I went to dinner during my job interview some 25 years ago,” said Kenneth DeBono, the Gilbert R. Livingston Professor of the Behavioral Sciences. “His enthusiasm for Union, for the Psychology Department, and for life in general, weighed heavily in my decision to continue my career at Union.”
Professor of psychology and Chair Suzie Benack added, “Frank had a free and infectious spirit; his energy, joie de vivre, and ever-present warm smile enlivened the Psychology Department for many years. He taught a series of enormously popular courses that combined psychology and the arts, especially psychology through literature and dance. He did what would today be called interdisciplinary and 'embodied' teaching, engaging students in movement and creative activities that exemplified psychological principles. Frank taught about the importance of maintaining a sense of wonder, openness and enthusiasm across the lifespan, and he demonstrated to all of us what that meant.”
In addition to his wife, survivors include two sons, Carl ’80 and Mark; and two daughters, Alissa (Calabria ’84) Quinn and Mayela Harris.
A memorial service is set for Sunday, October 24, at 3 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady, 1221 Wendell Ave. The family will receive friends and family following the memorial service at their home. Contributions may be made to the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady.