After retiring from USC in 1996, Hal Hendrick spent 10 years operating a private consulting firm in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Human Factors and Ergonomics. He is now semi-retired but still writing and staying active in professional society activities. He and his wife, Mary, split time between their home in Castle Pines Village, Colorado, and their ocean-front condo in Maui (January through mid-April). They also enjoy taking cruises and other travel, and seeing children and grandchildren. Life is good!
Hal came to USC in 1976 after completing 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. While in the Air Force, Hal was an associate professor at the United States Air Force Academy where he co-developed the psychology major, developed a cooperative Master of Science program with Purdue University, and founded the Psychology Laboratory. Additional assignments included Chief of Behavioral Sciences at the Defense Race Relations Institute, Air Force Project Engineer for Crew Station Design, Safety Provisions, and Alternate Mission Kits on the C-141 transport development program, and design engineer on the Dynasoar space vehicle astronaut control-display panels. At USC, he served as a department chair and interim Executive Director of ISSM. He also served three years as Dean of the College of Systems Science at the University of Denver. He received his B.A. in psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University and his M.S. in human factors and Ph.D. in industrial psychology from Purdue University, with a minor in industrial engineering. He is the Past President of the International Ergonomics Association, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, and the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics. His various awards include USC’s Associates Award for Teaching Excellence, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s Distinguished Service Award, the Jack Kraft Award for conceptualizing and initiating the subfield of macroergonomics, the Alex Williams Award for outstanding contributions to the design of a major system, and the International Ergonomics Association’s Distinguished Service Award. He is the author or coauthor of four books, editor or coeditor of 11 other books, and has written more than 200 other professional publications.
“Keep physically and mentally active. Never fully retire! Retirement is a great time to pursue hobbies, travel, and anything you always wanted to do but for which you never before had the time. It also is a great time to serve as a mentor for younger colleagues and to enjoy one’s children and grandchildren.” Hal W. Hendrick, 2008