Emeritus/Emerita Faculty

In Memoriam

 

studio photo of Lorraine Pedretti

Lorraine Williams Pedretti

(In Memoriam, November 12, 2024)

On November 12, 2024, the Occupational Therapy profession has lost one of its legendary pillars, Lorraine Williams Pedretti, a 1964 graduate of then San José State College. Emeritus Professor Pedretti was a beloved SJSU OT Department faculty member from 1968-1994 and was the San Jose State University OT Distinguished Alumna of the Year for 2004. We were fortunate to have such a stellar OT in our department history.

Lorraine pioneered publication of quality educational resources aimed at developing cutting-edge practice skills for occupational therapy with persons who have physical disabilities. She demonstrated influential leadership through the creation of one of the first (now 9th edition) and most highly regarded national/international textbooks devoted to occupational therapy for persons with physical disabilities – Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction. Lorraine was also among the first to develop and publish cutting-edge educational resources including study-guides and multi-media self-paced learning modules thus improving the lives of those with physical disabilities through skilled OT.  

She was nominated by Dr. Heidi Pendleton [pdf] [pdf] for consideration to be one of the 100 most Influential people in Occupational Therapy's 100-year history and was selected and honored at the centennial Celebration at the AOTA Conference in Philadelphia 2017.

side by side photo of Dr. Guy McCormack in 1993 and 2024

Guy McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
(In Memoriam, July 22, 2024)

Dr. Guy McCormack, a compassionate mentor and visionary leader in occupational therapy, profoundly shaped the profession with his innovative contributions and his gentle guiding spirit, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2024, in San Francisco. Guy is survived by his wife Norma McCormack, married 38 years and two sons and spouse (Guyon McCormack of Los Angeles, CA; Devin and spouse Claire McCormack of San Francisco, CA). Also survived by brother Alan McCormack of San Diego CA and sisters Eileen Luongo of Port St Lucie, Florida, and Anna Kip of Poughkeepsie, NY. Continue reading here [pdf]....

Anne MacRae

Anne MacRae

(In Memoriam, May 23, 2021)

Dr. Macrae, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA, was a member of the SJSU faculty for over 30 years. She was the director of the post-professional master’s program and supervisor of the psychosocial occupational therapy clinic for more than 20 years. Anne was a gifted and well-respected instructor and a mentor to many who went on to work in the area of mental health. In 1997, she received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship and as a Fulbright Fellow she taught and provided curriculum consultation at the University of Malta. Anne developed a deep love for Malta and would return there many times over the years to work with the occupational therapists at the University and through the Malta Mental Health Service.  

Dr. Macrae has many publications to her credit and co-edited 4 editions of the internationally recognized textbook, Psychosocial Occupational Therapy: An Evolving Practice. She was in the process of completing the 5th edition at the time of her passing.

Dr. Macrae received many recognitions and honors during her long career as an occupational therapist and scholar. Most recently she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Occupational Therapy Association of California for her service and dedication to the profession.

Dr. MacRae received her PhD in Human Science at Saybrook Graduate School, her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Antioch College. Her primary clinical experience was in the area of mental health and she held the advanced practice board certification in mental health from AOTA. Dr. MacRae was also the recipient of multiple Fulbright Fellowships and had an extensive background in cross-cultural and international consultation. She was a full professor in the Occupational Therapy program at SJSU and a consultant/practitioner for a Northern California behavioral health service. Past positions included coordinator of the SJSU post-professional (distance) program and international advisor.

Her past research, scholarly and practice interests included cultural diversity, occupational justice, phenomenology, all aspects of education, recovery and wellness models, environmental and contextual issues in intervention, collaborative models of treatment, community practice, and functional deficits of psychiatric symptoms.

Dr. Anne Macrae passed away peacefully on May 23, 2021. She was in her home, surrounded by her family who held her close with their love. Anne will be deeply missed by the many people whose lives she has touched.