AAPOR Hollywood Walk of Fame

As part of AAPOR 2026 in Los Angeles, the AAPOR History Subcommittee invites you to take a walk through the history of public opinion and survey research. Inspired by LA’s iconic Walk of Fame, stars placed throughout the conference highlight some of the most influential individuals who helped shape AAPOR, advance the science of survey and polling research, and deepen our understanding of public opinion.

From methodological pioneers and innovative practitioners to influential scholars and leaders, these individuals helped define the profession and expand its impact across academia, media, government, and industry. We encourage you to explore their stories, reflect on their contributions, and celebrate the lasting legacy they continue to leave on our field.

Leo Bogart (1921–2005) was born in Poland and immigrated to New York. He joined the army and served in Signal Intelligence during World War II. After his service, he worked in advertising for a number of corporate companies, including Standard Oil. After leaving corporate marketing, he worked as executive vice president and general manager of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau, monitoring the change in how consumers received news.

Watch Leo's Heritage Interview

Helen M. Crossley (1921–2016) was born in Pennsylvania, where she started market research by counting radio listeners for her father Archibald Crossley. She was a founding member of AAPOR and WAPOR and later served as the first female WAPOR president. Her career in government started at the Office of War Information, continued through the Defense Department, and ended at the U.S. Information Agency.

Watch Helen's Heritage Interview

Don Dillman (1941–2024) was raised on an Iowa farm. He founded the Public Opinion Laboratory at Washington State University, one of the first university-based telephone survey labs. He extensively researched combining telephone and mail survey and multi-modal research. His autobiography, You Have Been Randomly Selected: A Life Dedicated to Turning Research Findings Into Practical Applications, was published in 2024.

Watch Don's Heritage Interview

Harry Hubert Field (1897–1946) was born in Harrogate, England, in 1897 and immigrated to the United States in 1919 after serving four years in World War I. In 1941, he established the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), the first nonprofit polling service in the world. In 1946, he organized the Central City Conference on Public Opinion Research, which led directly to the founding of AAPOR and WAPOR.

George Horace Gallup (1901–1984) grew up in Iowa, where he started polling in 1932 for his mother-in-law’s campaign for Iowa Secretary of State. He went on to found the Gallup Organization in 1935. He was extensively involved with multiple professional organizations, including the Market Research Council and the National Council on Public Polls, along with AAPOR.

Gladys Engel Lang (1919–2016) was born in Atlantic City to immigrant parents. She and her husband, Kurt Lang, researched how mass communications from television influenced society. Their essay, The Unique Perspective of Television and its Effects: A Pilot Study, started a lifetime exploration on how the news media shaped political outcomes and public opinion.

Watch Gladys' Heritage Interview

Harold Dwight Lasswell (1902–1978) was raised in Illinois. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago and taught political science there until 1938. He also taught law at Yale from 1946 to his retirement from teaching in 1970. He developed essential models on communications and conducted the most comprehensive content analysis studies at the time. A prolific writer, he published over 30 books in his career.

Elmo Burns Roper (1900–1971) was born in Nebraska. After dropping out of college, he founded a market research firm Cherington, Wood, and Roper. Later, he directed the Fortune Survey, which adapted scientific methods of polling. He founded the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the Williams College. His polling firm the “Roper Poll” was eventually acquired by NOP World and then GfK.

Eleanor Singer (1930–2017) was born in Austria and immigrated to New York in 1938 to escape the Nazis. She graduated from Colombia University and taught there almost 30 years until moving to the University of Michigan. She edited the AAPOR journal Public Opinion Quarterly from 1975–1986 and was essential in the development of participant confidentiality and informed consent.

Pearl Zinner (1923–2022) was raised in New York, where she joined NORC in 1951 as a field researcher. She directed this office from 1963 to 1985, running many health studies both nationally and locally in New York. She monitored how the public and medical professional opinions changed with the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid and was a great believer in knowing the full process of the collection of the data.

Watch Pearl's Heritage Interview

See all the interviews in the AAPOR Heritage Interview Series.

Visit Heritage Interview Series Web Page