Clark Tibbitts (1903 – 1985)
Clark Tibbitts was 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. Tibbitts was the director of the Institute for Human Adjustment at the University of Michigan for 12 years before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1949 to serve as an specialist in aging with the agency that preceded the U.S. Departments of Health, Education, and Welfare, and Health and Human Services. He retired in 1983 as the special assistant to the U.S. Commissioner on Aging after 35 years of government service.
During those three decades, his contributions and accomplishments were many, including the following: he directed the 1950 National Conference on Aging and helped develop the 1961 White House Conference on Aging; chaired the HEW Committee on Aging and Geriatrics in the early 1950s; founded the Administration on Aging (AoA); and founded and directed AoA's Education and Training Program and its National Clearinghouse on Aging.
He played a major role in planning, organizing, and convening many international conferences on aging from the 1950's through the 1980's. He authored more than 100 publications; the most notable, undoubtedly, was the Handbook of Social Gerontology: Societal Aspects of Aging, which for a decade was the principal textbook on aging.
Clark Tibbitts died in October 1985 at age 82, leaving a legacy of accomplishments in academic institutions throughout the world. Through a combination of personal friendships and professional expertise, he fostered a federal commitment to the improvement of the lives of older persons through the development and growth of hundreds of academic gerontology programs.
Submission Period: Spring 2025
Eligibility Criteria:
- Nominees must have made a national impact on gerontology and/or geriatrics education, have had significant involvement in gerontology and/or geriatrics education, and have advanced the goals and mission of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education.
- Affiliated with an AGHE institution or GSA member with AGHE designated as a primary or secondary section.
Required Nomination Packet Materials:
- Single letter of nomination signed by at least three (3) supporters.
- A current Curriculum Vitae.
Nature of the Award
The awardee receives an engraved plaque and delivers a lecture at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting.