Gerontologist, lecturer in social research, and director of the Institute for Human Adjustment at the University of Michigan. Professional files, especially concerning the Institute, the University Board on University Policies, the Bureau of Psychological Services, and the University Fresh Air Camp; also photographs.
The collection came to the library in two principal accessions. The first came from the U-M division of Gerontology (donor no. 3368), at that time part of the Institute for Human Adjustment, in 1958. The second accession was transferred over from the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology (donor no. 6160) in 1984.
Clark Tibbitts (1903-1985) a moving force in the establishment of the discipline of gerontology, began his career at the University of Michigan, and retained contact with it long after he left to work with the federal government. He earned a B.S. degree at the Lewis Institute in 1924, and pursued postgraduate work at the University of Chicago. Tibbitts first joined the University of Michigan faculty in the Department of Sociology, teaching courses in social statistics.
In 1935, Tibbitts became a regional director of the United States Health Survey, but returned to the University in 1938 for a joint appointment as director of the newly-established Institute for Human Adjustment (IHA) and lecturer in sociology. In 1948, Tibbitts planned the first public conference on aging, held at the University of Michigan. Soon after, Tibbitts left the University to work with the first of a series of federal committees which sought to coordinate governmental and national activities in the area of gerontology. It was in his capacity as chairman of the Committee on Aging that Tibbitts directed the first National Conference on Aging in 1950, sponsored by the Federal Security Agency. The committee gained departmental status with Tibbitts as deputy director of the Office of Aging, 1960-1966. He subsequently served as director of training for the Administration of Aging, 1966-1974, director of the National Clearinghouse on Aging, 1974-1976, and as special assistant to the Commissioner on Aging (1976-19?).
In addition to these administrative positions, Tibbitts remained active as a professional sociologist. He continued to teach, and published several articles and textbooks on gerontology. His professional affiliations included the American Sociological Society, American Statistical Association, Gerontological Society, Inc., Michigan Sociological Society, and the Society for Social Research. In 1957, Tibbitts was awarded an honorary Sc. D. degree from the Institutum Divi Thomae.
The Clark Tibbitts Papers, 1926-1969, are arranged into four principal series corresponding to the major activities of Tibbitts's career in the fields of sociology and gerontology. There are also eight smaller series (plus an addition to a series) received subsequent to the accessioning of the bulk of the papers.
The Advisory Board On University Policies series, covering the period 1941-1944, is composed of the extensive minutes and reports generated during Tibbitts tenure as secretary. The five-member board was established in 1940 to investigate and report on any issues influencing "the functioning, the efficiency, and the objectives," of the University.
The Studies/Reports subseries includes correspondence, memoranda, data tables, and position statements resulting from board investigations. Topics covered include faculty ranking and related issues of income, promotion, and tenure in the Colleges of Engineering and Literature, Science, and the Arts; Extramural Services, including correspondence and extension service courses, with particular concern for demobilized servicemen after World War II; International Exchange of students and faculty, including reports on programs, sources of funding, and the International Center; Services to Veterans documents planning for the reintegration of veterans into University life.
The Institute for Human Adjustment (IHA), whose records form the bulk of this collection, was an independent agency established in 1937 under the auspices of the University of Michigan by a gift of Mary Rackham and the Rackham Fund. Its dual purpose was to provide service and to extend educational opportunities beyond the classroom via practicums and research in the discipline of psychology.
The Institute for Human Adjustment (IHA) series covers the period 1938-1955; Tibbitts was director of the Institute from 1938 to 1948. IHA was composed of several functional divisions, the most significant of which are represented by the following subseries: Administration, Bureau of Psychological Services, Fresh Air Camp, Social Science Research Project-Flint, Visible Speech Project, Speech Clinic, and Speech Clinic--Veterans Administration. The papers document divisional activities in treatment, research, and education, focusing on areas of childhood and adolescent problems, personal counseling, vocational guidance, and rehabilitation of the handicapped. Materials found in each of these subseries include minutes, annual reports, correspondence and memoranda, financial statements and budgetary information, project proposals and reports, grant requests, publicity, and brochures.
The Administration subseries, 1938-1955, includes correspondence, memoranda, and reports. Policies for all the divisions are discussed in the Executive Committee materials as well as the Manual of Administrative Procedures and Policy: Admission of Patients files. While topical areas of concern are more fully documented in other series, the following files are significant: regarding the provision of vocational guidance to area schools: see "Services to Schools - Report to Provost" and vocational guidance to veterans, see "Research - Reports, 1946-1947"; regarding research and services for the handicapped, see "Conference (Counseling the Adult Blind), 1947," "Proposal for a Demonstration in Psychological Evaluation of the Handicapped, 1948," and "Proposal for Establishment of a Rehabilitation Training Program, 1948." Counseling and testing services are referred to in all files.
The Bureau of Psychological Services (Psychological Clinic), established in 1938, offered counseling and individual and group evaluation testing services, both within the Clinic and in area schools or institutions.
Correspondence and reports summarizing service activities predominate in the Bureau of Psychological Services, 1938-1955, subseries. Vocational and psychological counseling services are discussed in "Administrative, 1945-1950," "Counseling Division, 1947-1954," and "Psychological Clinic - Memoranda" files. The Conference files contain only outlines of proceedings. The "Monthly Reports, 1939-1947," of the Psychological Clinic are incomplete, but provide statistics on patients and treatment primarily 1945-1947. The Testing Division files contain correspondence and reports relating to the administration of standardized tests, often at other universities.
The Fresh Air Camp joined IHA in 1946 after twenty-five years of independent operation. This summer camp, staffed by specially trained counselors and researchers, was established to serve inner-city boys with adjustment problems who were referred by social agencies.
Although the Administration and Advisory Committee files in the Fresh Air Camp, 1938-1955, subseries includes information from 1938 to 1939, most of the correspondence, reports, and brochures included in this series date from 1945-1955, when the camp was officially a University program. The dual purpose of the camp, to provide service to the boys and the staff, is evident in materials concerning camp activities, staff selection and training, and camp governance.
The Division of Gerontology was established by the Regents in 1951. In 1965, this core unit was expanded by state legislative action establishing the Institute of Gerontology as a joint venture of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.
The three files in the Division of Gerontology, 1957-1968, subseries contain survey forms, data, and reports of specific projects undertaken by the Division. More complete records of the Division's activities will be found in the Institute of Gerontology Collection.
The Rackham Funds, 1938-1940, subseries contains a variety of information. The Rackham Report was generated in 1940 to summarize the positive influence the Rackham endowment had upon research at the University. The departmental reports, here in their approved draft form, summarize research and publication efforts of the mid-to-late 1930s. Specific research objectives for a limited number of projects are to be found in "Research Grant Applications." The following researchers are represented by these applications: Elizabeth Crosby, project no. 41; Howard B. Lewis, projects no. 42 and no. 78; H.M. Pollard and Lila Miller, project no. 64; and Samuel A. Graham, project no. 82.
Founded in 1938, the Social Science Research Project operated in Flint, initially offering vocational guidance to young people. In 1946, the program expanded and its focus shifted to the study of public policy.
The files within the Social Science Research Project - Flint, 1946-1949, subseries document the expansion of this unit in 1946. The project funded research fellowships, supervised by faculty of the Metropolitan Community Seminar and a resident director to investigate issues of public policy. The Administration file documents this expansion. The Flint Advisory Committee correspondence indicates the extent of community involvement. "Research Projects" files contain final reports, correspondence on project definition and progress, and survey instruments and data. Topics of research included are vocational guidance, housing conditions, retail employment conditions, and welfare agencies.
These syllabi, reading lists, and course outlines within the Sociology, 1932-1945, subseries reflect the mutual relationship between IHA and the Department of Sociology. The efforts to establish a Master's Degree program in sociology are documented in correspondence and meeting summaries.
The Visible Speech Project, 1943-1949, subseries documents a joint effort of the IHA Speech Clinic and the Rackham Graduate School to effect speech rehabilitation for those with hearing impairment. Experiments in sound translation and speech training methods were conducted in the Clinic, often in conjunction with a dissertation. "Correspondence" files indicate the establishment and progress of the project. A photograph of the equipment is included. "Reports" include experimental data and progress reports and indicate the scope of the project.
The Speech Clinic, which had opened in 1937, provided diagnostic surveys and treatment to individuals suffering from speech deviations, handicaps, or hearing loss.
Budget information and brochures within the Speech Clinic, 1938-1950, subseries provide information on the early years of the Clinic. Correspondence with Ollie Backus, the Clinic Manager, and Harlan Bloomer, a staff member, includes administrative detail both routine and substantive.
Contracts with the Veterans Administration within the Speech Clinic - Veterans Administration, 1938-1948, subseries resulted in accounting and reporting detail not found elsewhere, particularly regarding numbers of patients and treatment received. "Contracts," "Cost of Services," "Reports," and "Statistics" are file headings to use for this information. "Memoranda" includes extensive statements of program and project objectives.
The Office of Aging series (1944-1968) focuses on the period 1949-1959 when Tibbitts directed the efforts of its antecedent committees within the Federal Security Administration. The origins and purposes of the Office are better documented here than are its activities, with the exception of its involvement with the Senior Citizens Act of 1961. Tibbitts's professional activities, both in publishing and teaching, are indicated here.
The Correspondence and Memoranda, 1944-1966, subseries traces the progression of the Office of Aging's antecedent committees. Established as an advisory committee, its expansion into program coordination, education, and lobbying agent through the period 19491961 forms the bulk of the material. Testimony and a draft of the Senior Citizen's Act of 1961 are included.
The Publishing Activity, 1956-1963, subseries is arranged alphabetically by title of work, contain correspondence regarding Tibbitts's efforts, and occasional manuscripts. Aging in the Modern World includes the published product.
The Teaching Activity, 1953-1968, subseries includes syllabi and correspondence regarding Tibbitts' teaching activities while in Washington, D.C. The university courses were on gerontology whereas the seminar focused on retirement planning.
The series, Papers, Speeches, And Reprints, spans Tibbitts's entire career from 1926 to the early 1980s. Files include talks, presentations, and articles which reflect his research interests. Arranged chronologically, the earlier years did include topical files which have been maintained. The items after 1949 reflect Tibbitts' involvement with the various issues surrounding gerontology, including health, retirement planning, and public policy.
Clark Tibbitts and unidentified group: "White House Conference on Aging, Inducting Req. Refs. & T.D.'s," July 1959
(Materials filed alphabetically by institution where presentation first given; Tibbitts often revised earlier files for use at later date at different institution)
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