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Alex T. Quenk, well-known clinical psychologist and Jungian analyst and an ardent supporter of the Center since 1989, died at age 73 on January 3.
Quenk was born in Connecticut, the youngest of nine children. Growing up in New England, he had only heard about segregation and Jim Crow laws. While doing basic training for the U.S. Army in North Carolina, Quenk was appalled at the sight of "whites only" drinking fountains. The reality of racism had a profound and lasting effect on him as he served in the Korean War and later pursued a career in psychology.
Quenk earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964. He completed his Jungian training in 1978.
He worked at a number of clinics in California and New Mexico. He was also an associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico Medical School and assistant clinical professor of medical psychology at the University of California Medical School.
Quenk published articles dealing with psychological types and psychotherapy. He also co-authored with his wife of 38 years, Naomi, two books, Dream Thinking and True Loves. He had been writing a major book on suffering for five years, intended to help caregivers understand the best way to respond to their clients' particular way of suffering. As a cancer patient, he fully understood the need for individualized care. His wife plans to finish it.
Quenk was recognized by his patients, colleagues, family, and friends for the depth and wisdom of his insights, his original thinking, and his ability to make complex ideas understandable and applicable in people's everyday lives. In his work and personal life, he respected every person's inherent value as a human being.
"We tried to discover and honor every person's uniqueness," Naomi said. "It upset him when he saw individuals categorized and labeled in any way that obliterated the essence of their individual humanity. He was a champion of diversity long before the term became popular."
The family requested donations be made to The Myers & Briggs Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, organizations that embody Quenk's commitment to valuing individuality.
SPLC Report
June 2003
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