ASHFIELD, Roberta was born October 7, 1917 in Wheelock Texas of a mother who was an English teacher, educator and one of the first women professors in Texas and a father who had backgrounds in law and engineering and was instrumental in the growth and development in parts of Texas, including Austin.

Dr. Collard was raised by her sisters early in her life at the loss of her mother to tuberculosis and later the loss of her father who traveled and worked across the great state of Texas. Roberta had remarkable intelligence to the extent that by age 15 she had graduated from high school and entered the world of higher education. Her college and university life was very challenging being so young in a world of college age students. The senior librarian at the University of Chicago discovered that Roberta (then a reference librarian technician) was acquiring outstanding grades in the most difficult courses! She was accepted at the

University of Chicago and completed her pre-med course work and began her studies in medicine but due to her limited finances she had to withdraw from her medical program of study and earned her doctorate in Biology and Child Development. Dr. Collard taught at the University of California at Davis, Oregon State University, and was part of the Yale University Department of Human Development and Studies. She finished her academic career as Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She gained Emeritus status and became an Honorary Research Associate at Smith College. Her research and support for undergraduate and graduate students included studies and presentations around the globe including Russia, Japan and Europe. Dr. Collard is responsible for the Infant Study Center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Smith College, where she pursued her research interests in infancy. Dr. Collard has published a number of articles and worked on a variety of grants including a collaborative effort with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The 2013 National Journal Young Children, the publication of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) featured a tribute to Roberta. One of her greatest qualities has been her philanthropy which has included different national and international causes as well as her more personal support of numerous students through school, art and music programs, nursing and more.

Roberta enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. She loved writing silly poems and limericks. She had a wonderful way of making people laugh which translated into her understanding children. She had a perceptive gift of knowing who young children were, what they needed and how to bring out the best in their learning and play.

Dr. Collard is survived by her nieces Nancy Hilliard, Roberta Jean Collard, Ann Collard Burke, Rosemary Eve, Roxanne King and her nephews Ben Collard, DR. F.R. Collard, and Roy King. Memorial services will be held at Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, MA on April 3, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. She will be interred at the Collard family burial location in Wheelock, Texas on May 22, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UNICEF to honor Dr. Collard’s lifelong commitment to the welfare of children. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.