Dr. JAMES M. DABBS Jr.

Dr. James McBride Dabbs Jr. died Aug. 13, 2004, after fighting brain cancer for nearly two and a half years.

He retired from Georgia State University on June 1, 2004, where he was a professor of social psychology. James Dabbs was the son of James and Edith Dabbs and grew up on the family farm in Sumter County. He was one of six students in the graduating class of Mayesville High School in 1955. He earned his bachelor's degree at Davidson College and his Ph.D. at Yale University. Before joining the Georgia State University faculty in 1970, he served as an Army intelligence officer and held research positions at Yale and the University of Michigan.

His research on testosterone and behavior was of interest to the popular media as well as the academic community. He and his wife, Mary, wrote a popular science book, "Heroes, Rogues and Lovers," which was published in 2000. Dr. Dabbs was recognized as an authority on testosterone and behavior and received notice in a variety of publications, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and was featured on National Public Radio in This American Life and The Infinite Mind.

James Dabbs had great affection for his South Carolina roots and in particular for the Salem community of Sumter County.

He is survived by his brother Richard W. Dabbs of Mayesville; two sisters, Carolyn Moore and Dorothy Dabbs; his wife, Mary; his son, Alan; his son, James and wife, Geri; and three grandchildren, Haley, Gracie and Mac.

There will be a memorial celebration in his honor on Sunday, Oct. 17. For more information, call (803) 495-3953.

If anyone wishes to make a donation in his memory, his family suggests the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, P.O. Box 4400, Atlanta, GA 31107, or Odyssey Healthcare of Georgia, 1140 Hammond Drive, Ste. B-2100, Atlanta, GA 30328 for the Odyssey Hospice in Decatur.