Michael L. Tracy

Michael L. Tracy was born in Chicago, January 19, 1938 the son of Matthew Tracy and Claire (Bolton) Tracy. He served two years in the U.S. Coast Guard before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Science from John Carroll University in 1962. Mike taught special education in the Chicago school system for six years. He went on to obtain, a Master of Science in Special Education from Northeastern Illinois University in 1966, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1969. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Sturgeon and his children, William D. Tracy, Michael L. Tracy, Jr., Matthew B. Tracy (Jenny), and Patrick S. Tracy, as well as his grandson, Bolton W. Tracy, all of whom he loved dearly and who loved him. Mike began his academic career at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1969-1970 working with the National Training Labs (NTL) to advocate for the integration of special education students into regular education classrooms. In 1970-1972, as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Mike co-directed, with William C. Rhodes, the Conceptual Project in Emotional Disturbance. That work resulted in co-editing with Rhodes two significant books one on theory and one on interventions--A Study of Child Variance, Vol. 1: Conceptual Models; Vol.2: Interventions. He joined the faculty at Indiana University in 1972, where he taught for 44 years. In 1972 Mike was invited by then President Nixon’s office to join in the planning of the 1973 White House Conference on the Status of Children. He co-edited the final report with the Honorable James Delaney of Colorado. His initial appointment at Indiana was as an assistant professor in School Psychology and as a psychologist at the Developmental Training Center (DTC), a University Affiliated Facility (UAF) specializing in training and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In 1974 he accepted a joint appointment at Riley Children’s Hospital to coordinate training between the two UAFs. The passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 put responsibility on the states to move patients out of state hospitals. This policy led to the Deinstitutionalization Project in 1975. Mike directed a pilot project that brought clients from Indiana’s state hospitals to the DTC as a half-way home while they were being integrated into their families and communities. This experience made possible the Consumer Grant, a national training project in the 50 states and territories. Mike was the Director and Principal Investigator of the project. He supervised the development of the training materials, identified national prominent training leaders, and supervised and conducted training for the members of each state Developmental Disabilities Council and the state employees who staffed the Councils. During his 1981-82 sabbatical, he was appointed to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Evaluation within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Urban Institute. Assisted by the state governments of California, Georgia, and Massachusetts, a team composed of the Urban Institute, the Department of HEW, and the state employees of the divisions of developmental disabilities and mental health, Mike helped develop a model data structure to identify the prevalence and incidence of developmental disabilities and evaluated services for persons with developmental disabilities. During that year, Mike represented the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Evaluation. Back in Indiana, he designed the Case Conference IEP Project to provide for accountability and advocacy for parents with children with special needs. The project developed training materials to assure the school districts in Indiana were in compliance with the standards in 94-142, the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act. That law required the states to provide a free, appropriate education for all students with disabilities in compliance with federal laws and regulations. In the following three years, the Case Conference Project trained each special education unit in Indiana to the standards. Later, Mike personally conducted over 60 mandated mediation sessions between school districts and parents to assure the implementation of these standards. He continued to work at the DTC until 1989. In anticipation of his return to the education faculty, Mike used his 1989 sabbatical study to seek additional training in working with families of emotionally handicapped children. He identified a group of six intellectually gifted and emotionally handicapped adolescents (hospitalized in the prior 60 days). He worked with the adolescents during the day and with their families in the evenings under the supervision of the Adler Family Institute in Chicago. He then joined the counseling psychology faculty at Indiana University for the 1990-91 academic year. Mike directed the Center for Human Growth from 1993-2000. His special practice interest was in clinical hypnosis, and he was a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) since 1972. Mike brought several credentials to his professional practice including licenses as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP), Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), Registered Family Mediator, and Licensed School Psychologist. Additionally he was certified as a Master Neurolinguistic Programmer (NLP) and Training/Certification Consultant for ASCH. He was a part of the Civil Rights movement in the United States on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities. He was known for his cheerful personality and willingness to help others. He encouraged others to stretch beyond what they thought they could do. He was guided by his faith, family, education, and had a curiosity to learn which lasted his entire life. He will be missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the students he loved to work with. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 1413 East 17th Street, Bloomington, Indiana on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 10:00. Burial will follow in the Fillmore Cemetery in Fillmore, Indiana. Visitation will be held Monday July 13, 2020 at Allen Funeral Home and Crematory 4155 South Old State Road 37 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the IU Foundation in support of the Center for Human Growth Fund. Online condolences, photos, and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com The Mass will be carried live on the St. Paul website at www.hoosiercatholic.org

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Michael L. Tracy

January 19, 1938 - July 10, 2020