After retiring from USC in 1996, Hal W. Hendrick (d. 2011) spent the next decade operating a private consulting firm in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and in Human Factors and Ergonomics. In the years following, he remained professionally active through writing and participation in professional society activities. He and his wife, Mary, divided their time between their home in Castle Pines Village, Colorado, and their oceanfront condominium in Maui, where they typically spent the winter months. They also enjoyed traveling, including cruises, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Hal Hendrick joined USC in 1976 after completing 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force, he served as an associate professor at the United States Air Force Academy, where he co-developed the psychology major, established a cooperative Master of Science program with Purdue University, and founded the Psychology Laboratory. His 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 for the Dynasoar space vehicle astronaut control-display panels.
At USC, Dr. Hendrick served as a department chair and as Interim Executive Director of the Institute for Safety and Systems Management (ISSM). He also served for three years as Dean of the College of Systems Science at the University of Denver. He earned 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.
Dr. Hendrick was Past President of the International Ergonomics Association, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, and the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics. His honors included 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 was the author or coauthor of four books, editor or coeditor of eleven additional volumes, and the author of more than 200 professional publications.
Reflecting on retirement, Dr. Hendrick wrote in 2008:
“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