Taber, Julian, 1930-2009

Julian Ingersoll Taber was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1930. Taber received his PhD in Psychology in 1961 from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He spent several years as a professor of psychology before becoming the coordinator for the psychiatric inpatient program at the Brecksville Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in Brecksville, Ohio. In 1978, he began coordinating a gambling treatment program at the same facility. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Taber instituted several pilot programs and new therapeutic strategies in the emerging field of gambling addiction, including meditation therapy, group therapy, and autobiographical testimonials, most of which became staples of Gamblers Anonymous.

In 1985, Taber moved to Reno, Nevada where he worked as the chief of the addictive disorders treatment program at the Reno VA hospital from 1985 to 1990. In 1986, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) awarded him the Herman Goldman Award for his work with problem gamblers. He then moved to White City, Oregon, where he served on the alcohol and drug unit at the local VA Domiciliary.

Upon retiring, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for five years and then finally to Washington. In 2001, Taber wrote In the Shadow of Chance, a book which aimed to explore gambling addiction from the mindset of the addict. In 2005, the NCPG awarded him the Dr. Robert L. Custer Lifetime Award for Direct Service.

Julian Taber passed away May 30, 2009.

Source:

“Julian Taber.” South Whidbey Record. May 30, 2009. Accessed October 29, 2018. http://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/obituaries/julian-taber/