Notes |
- During World War II (1943 - 1945) served in the U. S. Army Air Corps as a Navigator on the B-17 “Flying Fortress”. He was a member of the 413th Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, based in England. Between December 1944 and April 1945 he flew 35 bombing missions to targets in Germany. [1]
- Thomas R. Ford
(1923–2006)
We report in sorrow the death of Thomas R. Ford of Lexington, KY, USA, on April 27, 2006. In a quiet, modest, occasionally forceful, and always effective way, Tom Ford was more than a “triple threat.” His major contributions spanned the fields of rural sociology, sociology of the South, demography, international development, and Appalachian culture. He served as President of the Rural Sociological Society (1972–73) and of the Southern Sociological Society (1976–77). Most of Tom’s professional career was spent at the University of Kentucky, where he served from 1956 until his retirement as Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Developmental Change in 1990.
Tom’s graduate students would claim that his major contribution was in guiding and supporting them through their graduate education and into their careers. When the department launched a Distinguished Alumni Award, it soon became apparent that almost everyone who was being honored was a student of Tom’s. As a result, the department formally renamed the award the Thomas R. Ford Distinguished Alumni Award.
One student wrote, on hearing of his death, “I had reason to seek his advice about a sometimes strange admixture of academic and personal concerns. There was not a single time when he failed to be concerned, supportive, and willing to offer useful advice… He was a good person who never expected a drop more from others than he demanded of himself. The personal and professional model that he so consistently provided shaped my career…” Not surprisingly, Tom was a recipient of the University’s Sturgill Award, given annually to recognize excellence in graduate education.
Colleagues as well as students valued Tom’s guidance because he accepted people and career paths on their own terms, to deal with disagreements without losing perspective, to recognize the sometimes hidden strengths in people, and to be frank but kind when pointing out aspects of performance that needed to be improved. Beyond his skills as a mentor, Tom was fun to be around. Regardless of the situation, he could find humor in it and entertain his companions with stories and wry observations.
Thomas R. Ford was born in 1923 in Lake Charles, LA, USA. He earned his BA and MA degrees at Louisiana State University and PhD from Vanderbilt. During World War II, Tom was a pilot in the 413th AAF Squadron, flying many missions over Germany. He retained his love of flying and continued to fly for recreation and professional trips until his final illness interfered. Tom also had a passion for tennis and almost always found an hour in the middle of his long working days to join others for a set or two. This, too, he continued as long as his health permitted.
When Tom came to the University of Kentucky in 1956, sociologists had faculty appointments in two Colleges—Arts and Sciences and Agriculture. Although a majority of the faculty supported a unified department, their budgets and ultimate responsibilities continued to be tied to the College of their primary appointment. As a faculty member and a department Chair, Tom provided the leadership, patience, diplomacy, and persuasion needed to make this awkward arrangement work. In fact, Tom’s efforts to unify previously hired sociologists and include newly appointed medical sociologists in departmental affairs were instrumental in leading the University to consider sociology one of its significant strengths.
Professionally, Tom provided expertise that often transcended traditional specializations. His study of the health characteristics and status of Kentuckians, published in book form as Health and Demography in Kentucky by the University of Kentucky Press, was a basic document in the planning of the University’s then new Medical Center. He devoted his sabbatical leave periods to the study of cultures in several developing countries (Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica) and was looked to for his knowledge of Latin American cultures. His edited, The Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey, published by the University of Kentucky Press, helped guide the creation of the federal Appalachian Regional Commission and remains a classic historical work on Appalachia. Tom served as a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s National Advisory Committee on Rural Poverty and was a contributor to the Committee’s still vibrant report, “The People Left Behind.”
Tom is survived by his wife of 56 years, Harriet Lowrey Ford, their four adult children, Margaret, Janet, Charlotte, and Mark, five grandchildren, and devoted friends who cherish the memory of his wisdom, his energy, his expertise, his humor, his kindness, and his “can do it – let’s do it” spirit. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Kentucky, 915A South Limestone, Lexington, KY, USA 40503-1048.
Robert Straus and James Hougland, University of Kentucky
From:
http://www2.asanet.org/footnotes/julyaugust06/departments.html
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