Alida Westman, Oral History Interview, 2019

Alida Westman served as professor in the Department of Psychology from 1972 until her retirement in 2012. Born in The Hague, Holland, during World War II, and growing up in post-war Europe, Westman learned at an early age that certain cultural landscapes elicit specific reactions in human beings based on past trauma. As a result, the rest of her life was set by the age of four toward perception and research. After immigrating to the United States, Westman attended school in the Pacific Northwest and Cornell University, and landed at Eastern Michigan University as a professor in perception and comprehension studies. A supporter of the American Association of University Professors and member of countless academic committees during her career with EMU, Westman attained Emeritus status when she retired in 2012.