About Frank McAndrew

about me -

PROFESSIONAL TRIVIA:

I am the longest-serving psychology professor in the history of Knox College (45 years), and in the almost 200-year-history of Knox, only five professors in any department served longer. When I am not teaching or conducting psychology experiments, I write for the average person-on-the-street. I cover topics as diverse as why we grieve so deeply over the death of our dogs, why old people hate new music, and why haunted houses give us the creeps.

I have also appeared in more than a half-dozen documentary films. Here are trailers for some of them:

The Real Dirt on Gossip ; America's Abortion Fetish; Time After the Internet; and another trailer from The Real Dirt on Gossip. And just for fun, here is a short video about Why Clowns Creep Us Out.

I have always been deeply engaged with the day-to-day life of the college. Among other things, I founded the environmental studies program, served as the associate dean of the college, and chaired the psychology department for a decade. On the side, I worked with the McNair Scholars Program and coached the wrestling team for many years, and I organized the annual Flunk Day softball game for longer than I can remember.

My family and I even lived in the dormitories for four years as Head Residents.

Last but not least, I had the distinct privilege of serving as Stephen Colbert's host and introducing him when he delivered the 2006 commencement address at Knox College.

Learn more about my professional journey on the

Masters in Psychology Podcast

PERSONAL TRIVIA:

*I was born on a U.S. military base in Germany and I grew up in the anthracite coal region of

Northeastern Pennsylvania. I also lived in Maine for five years, and I currently reside on the prairie in

Western Illinois.

*I am the oldest of five children and I attended Catholic Schools for 17 years.

*I was a wrestler in high school and college, and most of my students and colleagues are unaware that I

masqueraded as a college wrestling coach for 30 years, with 12 years as a head coach.

*My first paying job as a kid was in a circus, and I was last employed outside of academia as a banker.

*My wife (Maryjo) and I have two grown children (Tim & Maura), one ungrown grandchild

(Colleen), and a dog named Audrey Hepburn.

* Maryjo was a long-suffering kindergarten teacher who eventually found a second career as a college archivist. She is

a graduate of Misericordia University.

* Tim has degrees from Kenyon College & Washington University (St. Louis); he also studied at UCC in Cork, Ireland.

Tim is a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Tim's spouse, Rose Dunphy McAndrew, earned a doctorate in

Occupational Therapy from Washington University. She is on the faculty at St. Louis Community College and she also

teaches at St. Louis University.

* Colleen (Tim & Rose's daughter) is a 6th grader who plays the viola and enjoys swimming, amusement parks, Taylor

Swift, and playing online games with her friends.

* Maura has degrees from Macalester College & the University of Pittsburgh, and she studied at UCD in Dublin,

Ireland. She is a writer, musician, and adjunct instructor at the University of Oklahoma (OU) where her spouse, Robert Bailey, is a Professor of Art History. Maura is a program coordinator for study-abroad at OU where she is