RICHARD MARTIN ROZELLE

1940-2018

Richard Martin Rozelle, 77, passed away on March 14, 2018, after a long illness. He was Professor Emeritus at The University of Houston in Psychology, a jazz pianist, and a true gentleman. Those of us who knew and loved him will always be thankful that he was part of our lives.

Richard earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1966 and moved to the University of Houston, where he spent his entire career. He served as Social Psychology Program Director, Department Chair, and later Dean of the College of Social Sciences, all the time performing as a jazz pianist most regularly at the Westheimer Pub, but also many other venues. He researched and published about attitude and behavior change in interpersonal perception and negotiation, as well as non-verbal communication. He was known to say, “there is a connection between teaching and playing the piano” as a point in classroom lectures, referring to social interactions that occurred while playing.

A world traveler especially in his retirement, Richard sought out cultural diversity in all of its forms, including music, fine art, food, history, and people. He loved life, family, friends, colleagues, and fellow musicians. Richard is survived and loved by his wife (Judith Rozelle), son and daughter-in-law (Andrew and Mary Rozelle), daughter (Amy Rozelle Williams), and three grandchildren (Maya Rozelle; Elise and Elliott Williams). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to Peck Kelly Fund of the Houston Professional Musicians Association (mail to PO Box 8748, Houston, TX 77249; 713-236-8676).