William Bevan, former Duke provost and founder of the Talent Identification Program, passed away Monday at the age of 84.
"Dr. Bevan was a true visionary and capable leader," TIP director Martha Putallaz said in a statement. "He will be sorely missed."
A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Bevan earned a master's degree from Duke in 1943 and a doctorate in experimental psychology in 1948.
After holding various teaching, research and administrative positions-including spending a year at the University of Oslo as a Fulbright Scholar and serving as provost and vice president of Johns Hopkins University-Bevan returned to Duke in 1974.
Bevan served as chair of the Department of Psychology and then as provost from 1979 to 1983.
Bevan, a cognitive psychologist, spent most of his career applying his research on how people perceive the world to teaching, learning, mental health care and public policy.
Among his accomplishments at Duke, Bevan founded TIP in 1980, which identifies academically gifted students from across the country and provides programs designed to challenge and inspire them.
"His vision and continued commitment and generosity have enriched the lives of almost 2 million gifted students-giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential," Putallaz said.
A long-standing benefactor of TIP, Bevan-who once said TIP would attract bright students to the University- established several endowments for TIP students and instructors with his wife, Dorothy.
During his career, Bevan also served as executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and publisher of the organization's Science magazine.
After leaving Duke, he served as vice president and director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation health program until he retired in 1991.
Bevan is survived by his wife, one brother, three sons and nine grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Duke Chapel.
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