Clark Tibbitts (1903–1985) was a

gerontologist Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek ('), meaning "old man", and ('), meaning "study of". The fi ...

who helped bring attention to the topic of aging and establish programs for aging populations in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He held a variety of positions within

gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, culture, cultural, psychology, psychological, cognitive, and biology, biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Ancient Greek, Greek ('), meaning "o ...

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."

Biography

Tibbitts was born in 1903 and died at the age of 82 in October 1985. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the

Lewis Institute The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour ...

in 1924 and did graduate work at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. 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 on Aging The Administration on Aging (AoA) is an agency within the Administration for Community Living of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Functions AoA works to ensure that older Americans can stay independent in their communities, m ...

1966–74, director of the National Clearinghouse on Aging 1974–76, special assistant to the Commissioner on Aging 1976–1982, both with roots from Tibbitts' original committee on aging.

Career

Tibbitts worked at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

's Institute for Human Adjustment, developing programs alongside Wilma T. Donahue. For several years they created courses, held conferences, and made radio programs for the public on the topic of aging. He worked there for 12 years before moving to

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1949. He then served as specialist for aging, before any agencies were dedicated to the aging population. He was the author of many articles and texts on

and

aging Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming Old age, older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentiall ...

. 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. 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.

Awards

* 1957 – Honorary Sc. D. degree (a doctorate of science higher than a PhD), from the Institutum Divi Thomæ in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. * 1981 – Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) Award for his outstanding contribution to the study of

. * 1986 – The Clark Tibbitts Award was established in 1986 for his contributions in the development of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, replacing the award he won in 1981.

Selected publications

* Tibbitts, Clark (1950, October)
The conference on aging
* * Tibbitts, C. (1967, March 11).

' * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tibbitts, Clark American gerontologists 1903 births 1985 deaths Social security in the United States Illinois Institute of Technology alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Michigan people