The key stages of the life creation of the outstanding psychologist and teacher A. A. Bodalev are studied, the main directions of his scientific, teaching and organizational activities are differentiated. The appeal to the analysis of his life path, creative heritage and experience in the management of science and education is determined by the need to study the history of human knowledge on the unique example of interaction between the Leningrad and Moscow scientific schools. For he was the only head of the psychology department and dean at Leningrad and Moscow Universities. He used this experience to manage pedagogical psychology as vice-president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, as well as reflecting on it when developing the acmeology of professionalism and creativity of outstanding scientists, which contributes to the pedagogy of educating the personality of young people.