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Seniors Owe Robert Butler Many Thanks
Tweet Share on Facebook July 7, 2010 Comment (2)Dr. Robert N. Butler, who coined the word "ageism" and has been called the father of modern gerontology, died of leukemia on Independence Day at the age of 83. As with pioneers in other fields, it is hard to think of aging and longevity in America today without being influenced by Dr. Butler's work and thoughts. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for Why Survive? Being Old in America. He and his late wife, Dr. Myrna I. Lewis, that same year published a best-selling sex guide for older persons. As his views and research entered the mainstream, they became part of the bedrock of the orientation of powerful groups such as AARP and within academic and government circles. Dr. Butler was the first director of the National Institute on Aging and began his career 55 years ago as a government researcher.
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Senior-Student Mentoring Can Be Great Win-Win
Tweet Share on Facebook July 6, 2010 CommentEffectively pairing senior volunteers with students is one of the big win-win opportunities in virtually every community in the country. There is great need in the schools, and it's gotten more acute during the recession. Looking ahead, school budgets have been sapped by falling tax revenues and government spending cutbacks. Meanwhile, the future vitality of our country -- successful young people who can out-compete their peers from other nations -- is being put at more and more risk. Our public education system is in serious trouble.
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