Salk, Lee, 1926-

Lee Salk was born on December 27, 1926 in New York City where he remained until his death on May 2, 1992. Salk was well-known for his groundbreaking research on infants' reactions to their mothers' heartbeats, which was inspired by his observations of Rhesus monkeys at the Central Park Zoo.

In addition to his research, Salk authored 10 books on child-rearing and the family unit as well as a monthly column for McCall's magazine titled, "You and Your Family." He was also a frequent television guest on shows such as "Today," "Good Morning, America," and "Nightline."

Salk was a fellow of the American Psychological Association and one of the founders of its Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services, for which he served as president from 1979 to 1980. Among awards he received during his career were the first Distinguished Contribution Award from the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Contribution Award in Clinical Child Psychology. In 1981 he was the recipient of the special National Media Award from the American Psychological Foundation. A tribute to his legacy is the Lee Salk Center, the research-and-development arm of KidsPeace.

From the guide to the Lee Salk papers, 1955-1994, (Center for the History of Psychology)