Lewis McClelland Kennedy Long, a psychologist, writer and aspiring artist died on January 17, 2015 in Virginia Beach. He was 91. The cause was aspiration pneumonia.
Dr. Long, who grew up in Porto Alegre, Brazil and Roanoke, VA, and moved to Alexandria in 1963, led a full life and varied career. His career included private practice, teaching, civil service as Psychologist at many government agencies including The Center for Metropolitan Institute at National Institute of Mental Health, VISTA, National Teachers Corps and the Peace Corps.
Lewis Long was born on November 19, 1923 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father, Frank M. Long was Secretary for the YMCA and his mother Eula Kennedy Long was a published author. His maternal grandfather Dr. James L. Kennedy, was the second Methodist missionary in Brazil. At Jefferson High School in Roanoke, Lewis starred on basketball and swimming varsity teams that won Virginia state championships.
Dr. Long received his BA and MA degrees from University of Oklahoma. He left college to enlist in the navy in July 1943 after the death of his brother Millard Long in the Solomon Islands during WWII. Dr. Long served 3 years in the Pacific theater on board an LSM-1 Landing ship and fought in Mindanao Islands. He was awarded 3 stars for fighting in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, 1 star for the Philippino Liberation and the World War II Victory medal.
After WWII, he continued his education benefiting from the GI bill and earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard University. In Cambridge, Dr. Long met Barbara Sue Dietterich. They were married in Kenmore, NY in 1952 and moved to Little Rock Arkansas in 1957, where Dr. Long worked at the Child Guidance Clinic at the University Medical Center, and part time professor and chairman of the Psychology Department at Little Rock University and maintained a private practice as well.
In 1963, Lewis, Barbara and their four children moved to Alexandria VA where he was chief psychologist for the Children’s and Youth Center at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. His first wife Barbara, died in March 1976. Dr. Long married Alice Deaton in 1979. Ms. Deaton died in May, 1989.
Dr. Long had two brothers, James Long and Millard Long and two sisters, Eulalee Long Anderson and Edith Long Schisler Frye. He is survived by his sister Edith Long Schisler Frye of Rutland, Vermont and Florianopolis, Brazil.
After retiring from NIMH, Dr. Long co-founded The American Board of Professional Disability Consultants and followed his love of learning by earning degrees from Northern Virginia Community College, George Mason and Georgetown Universities. In addition, he developed artistic interests and created pieces in glass, painting, print making, collage and jewelry. He wrote an autobiographical play as well as authoring books about Barbara Long’s death and a short memoir about growing up in Brazil. Dr. Long was currently working on a fictional fantasy novel titled “Bugiganga” (the Portuguese word for junk). He invented several games and was in the process of applying for patents for two. Lewis Long loved traveling, attending the SE Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute, playing chess, collecting coins, watching sports, performing magic tricks and socializing. In his spare time Dr. Long read daily, jogged, worked out, attended Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, played poker, worked on countless remodeling projects on his home and wrote a monthly family letter documenting his self-meditations and observations about life.
Dr. Long is survived by his four children, Mark Long, Susan Long, David Long and Stephen Long and six grandchildren; Lynsi Long, Austin Long, Dakota Long, Max Sierra, Annie Long and Charles Long. In additional to his immediate family, Lewis Long is survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 7 at 11am at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church 1909 Windmill Lane in Alexandria Virginia. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Discretionary Minister’s Fund at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church.