Charles Donald Noblin was born in Jackson, Miss. in 1933 and departed this earth on Dec. 25, 2022, at the age of 89. He left all of his worldly possessions behind and will spend eternity in the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the time of his death, he and his wife Alice resided in Blacksburg.
He graduated from Jackson Central High School in 1951; received a BA degree in psychology from Mississippi College in 1955; an M.S. degree in clinical psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1957; and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University in 1962.
Following completion of his pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Biloxi/Gulfport U. S. Veterans Administration Hospital and graduation from LSU, he served for 41 consecutive years on the faculty at six universities: LSU; the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Rutgers University Medical School; Virginia Commonwealth University; Virginia Tech; and the University of Southern Mississippi.
While in graduate school, he received honorable mention status in the American Institute of Research’s Creative Talent Awards program. His primary research interest was clinical and experimental psychopathology, and his primary teaching interest was that of training psychology students for a career in public service.
Much of his research was funded by grants from public and private agencies such as the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH); the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the United States Department of Justice; the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW); the United State Public Health Service (USPHS); Hoffman-La Roche Pharmaceutical Company; the Trubeck Foundation; the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program; and the Virginia Department of Mental Health. He is listed in Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who in the World; and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. Of far greater importance, however, is that his name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
While on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he served as secretary-treasurer of the North Carolina Psychological Association. As a faculty member at Rutgers Medical School, he coordinated the grant for construction of a comprehensive community mental health center and established a behavioral science program for first-year medical students. During that era, Virginia did not have a doctoral program in clinical psychology.
While at VCU he also served as the psychologist on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first Multidisciplinary Traffic Crash Investigation Team under the aegis of the Virginia Highway Safety Division. He then moved across the state to Blacksburg as the Department Head at Virginia Tech where he established the state’s second doctoral program in clinical psychology. Following eleven years at Virginia Tech, he returned to his home state of Mississippi where he joined the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi and served as Director of Clinical Training; Director of the Psychology Clinic; Department Chair; and Professor.
He retired from USM as Professor Emeritus. While at USM, he was appointed by the Governor of Mississippi to a five-year term on the Mississippi Board of Psychology, the legislatively created authority for regulating the practice of psychology in chair of the board.
During the time he spent in academics, he consulted for numerous hospitals, clinics, and behavioral science projects. Prior to retirement he was licensed to practice psychology in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Mississippi; and was certified to conduct civil commitment examinations in Mississippi.
He shared with his wife Alice a long-standing interest in vintage and antique art glass, especially French art glass of the art deco era. He liked classic country music; music of the big band era; Southern gospel music; Mississippi farm-raised fried catfish; and LSU football.
Up to the time of his death he was on the Board of the Montgomery County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office Citizen Support Group and was a member of the Southern Gospel Music Association and the Alumni Associations of Mississippi College, VCU, and LSU. He was also a life member of the American Psychological Association, the Mississippi Psychological Association, and the Mississippi State Board of Psychological Examiners.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Thomas Noblin and Margaret Byrne Noblin, and a daughter-in-law Mary Noblin.
He is survived by his wife, Alice Forth Noblin; two sons and a daughter-in law, Paul Noblin of Wilmington, NC and Mark and Sherry Noblin; one granddaughter Hope Noblin of Hattiesburg, MS; one step-son and step daughter-in-law, Chris and Carri Lucas; and two step-grandsons, Aaron Lucas and Jacob Lucas of Blacksburg.
Visitation was Thursday, Dec. 29, at McCoy Funeral Home, and services were conducted Friday, Dec. 30 in the Blacksburg First Church of God with Pastor Jeff Crowder officiating.
In lieu of flowers, Charles requested that memorial contributions be made to his undergraduate alma mater, Mississippi College, PO Box 4005, Clinton, Mississippi 39058 which he described as “the best and most influential academic years of my entire life.”
