Clark Tibbitts

Last updated
Clark Tibbitts
Born1985 (1985)
DiedOctober 11, 1985(1985-10-11) (aged 81–82)
Academic work
Era1929-1983
Discipline Gerontology
Sub-disciplineSocial gerontology
Institutions

Clark Tibbitts (1903-1985) was a gerontologist who helped bring attention to the topic of aging and establish programs for aging populations in the United States. He held a variety of positions within gerontology and was an contributing author of many articles that examined aging. He has been described as "an architect of the field of gerontological education-an academic who spent most of his career in the federal government as an advocate for the development of aging education, training, and research programs in institutions of higher education." [1]

Contents

Biography

Tibbitts was born in 1903 and died at the age of 82 in October 1985. [2] [3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Lewis Institute in 1924 and did graduate work at University of Chicago. [4] He retired at age 83, after 35 years of government service. He worked as deputy director of the Office of Aging 1960-66, director of training for the Administration of Aging 1966-74, director of the National Clearinghouse on Aging 1974-76, special assistant to the Commissioner on Aging 1976-1982, both that have roots from Tibbitts' original committee on aging. [4]

Career

Tibbitts was director of the institute for Human Adjustment at the University of Michigan for 12 years before moving to Washington D.C. in 1949. He then served as specialist for aging, before any agencies were dedicated to the aging population. [4] He was the author of many articles and texts on gerontology and aging. He was an advocate for government resources for the aging population, at a time when the average life expectancy in the United States was growing rapidly with assistance from advances in medicine and technology. [5] He examined the social and psychological aspects of aging that had not been previously studied or explored because of the low life expectancy up until the mid twentieth century.

Accomplishments

Tibbitts was notable for his efforts to plan, organize, and convene multiple international conferences on aging for more than three decades, until the 1980s. His work encompasses more than 100 publications, including his Handbook of Social Gerontology: Societal Aspects of Aging, which, for a decade, was the major used textbook on aging. [1]

Awards

Selected publications

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References

  1. 1 2 "Clark Tibbitts, 1903-1985". Association for Gerontology in Higher Education. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  2. 1 2 "Clark Tibbits". Association of gerontology in higher education. 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  3. Barnes, Bart (October 19, 1985). "Clark Tibbitts Dies at 82". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Sagraves, Barbara (1988). "Clark Tibbitts Papers". Bentley historical library, University of Michigan.
  5. Maddox, G (1988). "The future of gerontology in higher education: continuing to open the American mind about aging". The Gerontologist. 28 (6): 748–752. doi:10.1093/geront/28.6.748. PMID   3253147.
  6. "AGHE Awards - Clark Tibbitts Award". The Gerontological Society of America.