the Story
This is the story of Glenna J. ("Jinx") DeBrota's career as a psychologist, professor, and career consultant.
Glenna DeBrota earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Indiana University in 1955. She became a mother for the first time in 1959, and that was her dominant profession until she earned a Master of Science in June 1969. She subsequently joined the faculty of Butler University. In 1974 she earned a Doctor of Education from Indiana University. Her Ed. D. thesis title was “An investigation of the relationships of classroom climate to critical thinking ability, student attitude to education and higher thought process emphasis”.
During her 25+ years at Butler University she advanced to full Professor in the School of Education, and became an Emeritus Professor there after retiring from it in 1997. She taught many different classes to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, on topics and with titles such as:
Gifted Students
Learning Disabled Students
Creativity
Human Growth and Development
Interpersonal Dynamics
Organizational Psychology
For the majority of these classes, she created her own instructional materials, rather than working from any single available textbook. She had students write papers, and gave tests with short answer and essay questions. She lectured without 35 mm slides, videos, or PowerPoint. She engaged with students and encouraged questions.
Dr. DeBrota made numerous contributions to the education of gifted students. She organized summer programs for young gifted children, "Fifth Experience", and for teenagers, "Challenge", on the Butler University campuses. She participated in national gatherings of persons working to promote gifted education. She spoke and wrote and advocated for investment in the best and the brightest.
In the early 1970s, Dr. DeBrota formed a partnership with her colleague Jack L. Fadely, Ed.D. Their partnership was marketed with a variety of names, and eventually settled on Fadely & DeBrota Associates. It operated out of a number of different offices on the northwest side of Indianapolis, which clients still remember as being full of artistic and interesting objects to look at and touch. It did not advertise and never created or maintained a website, instead staying very busy simply from word of mouth and referrals from people who knew them.
"Jack and Jinx" worked together as Butler professors, radio personalities, and private practitioners for nearly 50 years, continuing long after their simultaneous retirements from Butler in 1997. Dr. Fadely passed away in April 2020, a victim of the COVID pandemic. Shortly thereafter, the final office of Fadely & DeBrota Associates (on Purdue Road) was closed.
The primary service offered by Fadely & DeBrota Associates was career advice. In a typical week at its peak, 20 or more clients would come to their office seeking to decide what to study or what to do next in the world of work. These clients were not simply looking for a job or a way to make money. They wanted to find satisfaction with an occupation, and to feel good about what they did.
In addition to working with individuals, Dr. DeBrota also worked as a consultant to multiple local businesses and governmental agencies. She counseled executives, designed assessment batteries, informed hiring and promotion decisions, and helped persons work together more effectively.
In the summer of 2020, despite being nearly 90 years old, with health issues, and the death of her friend and partner, Dr. DeBrota decided she would continue practicing. She chose to focus exclusively on the kinds of clients she had most enjoyed, individuals seeking help with educational and career decisions. With help from her longtime office manager, Amy, and her son David, she started DeBrota Career Consulting (DCC).
DCC was a modern business, without a physical office to which clients travelled to meet with her. It made use of online assessments and videoconferencing to enable clients to have live interactions with Dr. DeBrota. It recruited clients with a website, which could be found at gdebrota.com. She wore a gaming headset when talking to clients, as a way of dealing with significant hearing impairment. She had a studio in her home with a huge monitor screen, so she could see client's faces.
DCC operated for nearly 5 years, and served many hundreds of clients over this time. It allowed Dr. DeBrota to stay mentally challenged and help as many more people as she could. In early 2025, her health declined further and she was finally then ready to retire from practice.
She passed away Jan 14, 2026.
Glenna DeBrota earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Indiana University in 1955. She became a mother for the first time in 1959, and that was her dominant profession until she earned a Master of Science in June 1969. She subsequently joined the faculty of Butler University. In 1974 she earned a Doctor of Education from Indiana University. Her Ed. D. thesis title was “An investigation of the relationships of classroom climate to critical thinking ability, student attitude to education and higher thought process emphasis”.
During her 25+ years at Butler University she advanced to full Professor in the School of Education, and became an Emeritus Professor there after retiring from it in 1997. She taught many different classes to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, on topics and with titles such as:
Gifted Students
Learning Disabled Students
Creativity
Human Growth and Development
Interpersonal Dynamics
Organizational Psychology
For the majority of these classes, she created her own instructional materials, rather than working from any single available textbook. She had students write papers, and gave tests with short answer and essay questions. She lectured without 35 mm slides, videos, or PowerPoint. She engaged with students and encouraged questions.
Dr. DeBrota made numerous contributions to the education of gifted students. She organized summer programs for young gifted children, "Fifth Experience", and for teenagers, "Challenge", on the Butler University campuses. She participated in national gatherings of persons working to promote gifted education. She spoke and wrote and advocated for investment in the best and the brightest.
In the early 1970s, Dr. DeBrota formed a partnership with her colleague Jack L. Fadely, Ed.D. Their partnership was marketed with a variety of names, and eventually settled on Fadely & DeBrota Associates. It operated out of a number of different offices on the northwest side of Indianapolis, which clients still remember as being full of artistic and interesting objects to look at and touch. It did not advertise and never created or maintained a website, instead staying very busy simply from word of mouth and referrals from people who knew them.
"Jack and Jinx" worked together as Butler professors, radio personalities, and private practitioners for nearly 50 years, continuing long after their simultaneous retirements from Butler in 1997. Dr. Fadely passed away in April 2020, a victim of the COVID pandemic. Shortly thereafter, the final office of Fadely & DeBrota Associates (on Purdue Road) was closed.
The primary service offered by Fadely & DeBrota Associates was career advice. In a typical week at its peak, 20 or more clients would come to their office seeking to decide what to study or what to do next in the world of work. These clients were not simply looking for a job or a way to make money. They wanted to find satisfaction with an occupation, and to feel good about what they did.
In addition to working with individuals, Dr. DeBrota also worked as a consultant to multiple local businesses and governmental agencies. She counseled executives, designed assessment batteries, informed hiring and promotion decisions, and helped persons work together more effectively.
In the summer of 2020, despite being nearly 90 years old, with health issues, and the death of her friend and partner, Dr. DeBrota decided she would continue practicing. She chose to focus exclusively on the kinds of clients she had most enjoyed, individuals seeking help with educational and career decisions. With help from her longtime office manager, Amy, and her son David, she started DeBrota Career Consulting (DCC).
DCC was a modern business, without a physical office to which clients travelled to meet with her. It made use of online assessments and videoconferencing to enable clients to have live interactions with Dr. DeBrota. It recruited clients with a website, which could be found at gdebrota.com. She wore a gaming headset when talking to clients, as a way of dealing with significant hearing impairment. She had a studio in her home with a huge monitor screen, so she could see client's faces.
DCC operated for nearly 5 years, and served many hundreds of clients over this time. It allowed Dr. DeBrota to stay mentally challenged and help as many more people as she could. In early 2025, her health declined further and she was finally then ready to retire from practice.
She passed away Jan 14, 2026.
Below are some photos from the last office of Fadely & DeBrota Associates, on Purdue Road in Indianapolis
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