When George and Jean Mandler first came to UC San Diego in 1965, the campus—and the world—was a different place. Founded just five years earlier, the university had only a handful of buildings and fewer than 100 faculty members. New departments were being created and expanded. The campus was abuzz with excitement and possibility.

“The atmosphere here was fantastic,” recalls George, a renowned psychologist who taught at Harvard and the University of Toronto before becoming the founding chair of UC San Diego's Department of Psychology. “Keith Brueckner—the man who recruited me and many others to UCSD—told me I could build the department from scratch, basically do whatever I wanted. I knew it was going to be fun!”

And while building a new department at a new university was exciting, it was not without its challenges for both Mandlers. For George, his priority was to start recruiting good faculty, which he did by hiring William McGill and Norman Anderson the first year. He continued recruiting more outstanding faculty each of the five years he served as chair.

For Jean, her challenge was the one she had faced since receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard in 1956. What was she going to do with her degree when women's prospects for a career in academia were slim?

“It was a different time and culture,” she explains. “It was generally accepted that women would not have the positions men had, especially if they were married.”

Jean had been able to keep her hand in the field of psychology over the years by doing part-time research and co-authoring a book on the history of thinking with George. She also devoted herself to raising their two sons.

When the Mandlers arrived at UC San Diego, Jean received a part time appointment in biology conducting animal learning research. “It was a department I'd never stepped foot in,” she recalls, but, at the time, University of California nepotism rules prohibited her from working in the psychology department where George was chair.

After several years, and the possibility of the Mandlers leaving for faculty appointments at other universities, Jean received her first regular appointment in 1973 in the Department of Psychology.

“It was absolutely wonderful,” says Jean. “I had an office, grad students, a research grant. As George used to say, at 43 I became the bushiest-tailed associate professor he had ever seen.”

By the time of her appointment, Jean had transitioned out of animal learning and into developmental psychology. Like George—who was a central figure in the cognitive revolution launched in the 1950's and 1960's, with signature contributions in the psychology of memory, consciousness, and emotions—she became recognized for her work in psychology.

Jean was a pioneer in shaping contemporary theories of cognitive development and played a pivotal role in creating the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, the first such department in the world. Later in her career at UC San Diego, she began working on a theory of infant conceptual development that challenged prevailing psychological paradigms.

“I expect I surprised a lot of the faculty who thought my appointment was a small price to pay for keeping George,” reflects Jean. “I became really well known in my field.”

George and Jean retired from UC San Diego in the 1990s—George as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Psychology, Jean as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Cognitive Science. They are both visiting professors at the University of London, positions they have held since 1991, and are still working in their respective areas to varying degrees. Jean recently published what she says may be her last theoretical article in Cognitive Science, and George, who published his last book several years ago, is working on a theoretical paper that explores the limitations of human memory. When they are not in England, they usually come to campus three days a week to see colleagues and attend seminars. In 2004, UC San Diego named Mandler Hall in recognition of George's contributions to the university.

“It's nice to be appreciated for what you've done,” says George. “We've been happy here.”