Feb. 6, 1938 – Oct. 15, 2025
Melinda Yowell Small, Bowdoin College professor of psychology emerita, died from complications following surgery in Brunswick on Oct. 15, at the age of 87.
Born on Feb. 6, 1938, in Baltimore, Maryland, Melinda earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, in 1960 and 1964, respectively. In the course of her education at St. Lawrence, she also studied at the University of Edinburgh (1958-59) and the University of Munich (1961-62). She received a doctorate in psychology from the University of Iowa in 1968.
Melinda was an assistant professor of psychology at Douglass College, Rutgers University, from 1968 to 1972. She joined the Bowdoin faculty in 1972 and was one of the first women at the college to rise through the ranks from assistant professor to full professor.
Her research interests focused on cognitive development in children, embracing the study of learning, perception, memory, thinking and problem-solving. In addition to authoring or co-authoring numerous articles and reviews, she wrote the book “Cognitive Development” (1990), which became a highly regarded and widely used text in the field. She retired from Bowdoin in 2000, was voted an emerita member of the faculty, and became an honorary member of the Bowdoin Alumni Association.
Melinda was committed to her role as a teacher, and to giving students opportunities to engage with principles of psychology through practical work on child development in local preschools and public schools. As one former student said, “She was demanding — in a good way; she expected students to learn.” Her mentees included her sister, Marcia Yowell Bingham, who pursued and attained a doctorate in psychology from North Carolina State University.
She also was committed to public service in the communities in which she lived. She served on the board of directors for both the Bath-Brunswick Area Mental Health Association and Tedford Housing, was a member of the Board of Overseers of the Bar, the Mitchell Field Steering Committee in Harpswell, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Her volunteer work for CASA as a guardian ad litem was very important to her, allowing her to work with children and families in need throughout Maine.
Melinda first came to Maine as a camper at Wyonegonic in Denmark, Maine. She was followed by all her sisters, then her daughter, niece and granddaughter. Summers would find Melinda and her husband, Ray Rutan, playing viciously competitive croquet and sailing Down East with their beloved Tibetan mastiffs. At Christmas, family and friends would gather around, Melinda’s eggnog in hand, as Ray lit the tree’s candles. Naturally, fire extinguishers were at the ready!
Melinda was predeceased by her husband, Bowdoin Director of Theater Emeritus A. Raymond Rutan. She is survived by her daughter, Whitney Foard Small; her son, Sebastian Somers Small, and wife, Naomi Trundy Small; her granddaughter, Siena Somers Small; and her sister, Marcia Yowell Bingham, and husband, Tayler Harrison Bingham.
A celebration of life is planned for Reunion weekend, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, May 2026.
