Julius Gaines (MA ’59) is a strong believer in the power of creative expression.

When the Berkeley, California school district was integrating in the 1960s, Gaines worked with students and an art teacher to make a movie called “Colors of Children,” mixing film footage of children’s artwork with footage of children playing on the playground.

When a teacher died unexpectedly at one Berkeley elementary school, Gaines helped the children reach an emotional understanding through drawing cards for the man’s family.

“Through their tears, they began to draw,’” Gaines said. “Something happens in the act of drawing where memories remain, but don’t overwhelm and students can become active again.”

When students at the John Muir Elementary School were reeling from a massive fire that was finally contained at the ridge northeast of the schoolyard after destroying many surrounding buildings, Gaines consulted with teachers on children drawing about their experiences.

“One child illustrated a monster machine that could put out all fires,” Gaines said. “Drawing upon strengths in fantasy, this child made a situation that could overcome the threatening situation. These are the kinds of things you can gain through art.”

Gaines, a school psychologist in the Berkeley Unified School District from 1966 until his retirement in 1994, said creative outlets are especially important for young children.

“Using play and creativity as a vehicle for children to express what’s going on may resolve some conflicts and restore emotional equilibrium,” Gaines said.

Estelle Bern, who worked alongside Gaines as a guidance consultant in the Berkeley schools in the late 1960s and early 1970s, said Gaines’ interest in finding creative ways for children to deal with difficult situations is an example of his continually going above and beyond what was expected of him.

“He was creative and always looking to learn more and use his education to work directly with children, and that’s a pretty admirable thing,” Bern said. “He was a top school psychologist.”

In fact, Gaines, who went on to earn his doctorate in School Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, received the Outstanding School Psychologist Award from the California Association of School Psychologists in 1993. Out of 2,700 school psychologists in California, only 11 were chosen for the award that year.

Don Klose, who came to the Berkeley school district as a school psychologist in 1990, said he saw Gaines as a thorough, thoughtful, and child-oriented psychologist.

“He was especially interested in primary prevention—providing support for students before they reach a point of serious school difficulties,” Klose said.

One way Gaines promoted prevention was through spearheading a program called WINGS at LeConte Elementary School.

WINGS, an acronym for Winning, Interacting, Noting, Growing, Smiling, was established in 1982 to help children adjust to school through mentoring and therapeutic play. Gaines served as the program’s coordinator and trainer and endeavored to spread the program to several schools in the district.

Gaines continues to be active and creative in his retirement, engaging his life-long interests in photography, writing, and oral expression.

In 1996 he published, Homecoming: A Book of

Poems. He is currently involved in a project to preserve the history of Uniontown, a predominantly black community in his native Virginia.

Gaines said he believes adults can benefit from creative expression in much the same way as the children he worked with throughout his career.

“It’s an extension of experiences and thoughts that can be expressed through a safe medium,” Gaines said. “It’s also something you can look at and discover you can handle it forever and ever.”