Pioneer in Gerontology Passes Away

Dr. Robert Butler, a pioneer in the field of gerontology, has died. Butler, who recently spoke at the USC Davis School's Healthy Aging Retreat in April, will be missed by friends and colleagues at the USC Davis School.

Dr. Robert Butler

According to the Associated Press, Dr. Robert Butler lost his battle with leukemia at Mount Sinai Medical Center on July 5th at the age of 83. Credited with creating the word "ageism", Butler was the founder of the National Institute on Aging, the country's primary Federal agency on aging and aging research.

A gerontologist and psychiatrist, Butler was a leader in the field of successful aging and won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1976 book, "Why Survive: Being Old in America". More recently, he was the keynote speaker at the USC Davis School's Healthy Aging Retreat in La Jolla, CA.