Vern Bengston Toasted and Roasted
Bengston, the author of more than 200 articles and 11 books and former holder of the AARP University Chair in Gerontology and Sociology, taught at USC for 40 years. He also held a joint appointment in the sociology department of USC College.
One of his most impressive accomplishments was serving as the founder and first principal investigator of the Longitudinal Study of Generations, a multigeneration and multidisciplinary examination of families, aging and social change now approaching its 30th year of data collection.
He was elected president of the Gerontological Society of America and granted a MERIT Award for research from the National Institute on Aging.
Known for his theories on aging course, Bengston was an admired lecturer, earning a Distinguished Teaching Award from USC College in 1985.
USC Davis School faculty members Merril Silverstein and Roseann Giarrusso hosted the daylong Festschrift, a volume of writings presented as a tribute, at the Davidson Conference Center.
“Vern's contributions to social gerontology, sociology of aging and sociology of the family are too many to mention,” Silverstein said. “I think the themes we laid out in the conference give us a good overview of the breadth of his contributions and of the lasting imprint they have made to understanding the place of family in the aging process.”
Lectures at the conference addressed continuity and change in families, including such topics as religion, family relationships over generations, poverty, race and gender, all themes central to Bengtson's work.
Conference attendees then made their way across campus to the USC Davis School's Stever Courtyard for dinner, mariachi music and a lighthearted roast of the guest of honor.
Andrew Achenbaum, professor of history and social work at the University of Houston, compared Bengtson's devotion and skill as a mentor to the mythical goddess Athena, who counseled mortals seeking guidance.
Silverstein presented a mock quiz that questioned Bengtson's proud, Swedish heritage.
In a five-step survey titled “The Model Swede,” Silverstein concluded that Bengtson did not fit 80 percent of the criteria necessary for status as an ideal Swede.
Silverstein later confessed some of the lines of inquiry may have been unreliable. In particular, a section about an ancient Viking custom that required sons to throw their fathers over a cliff.
“Thankfully,” Silverstein pointed out, “Vern only has daughters.”
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The Wall Street Journal highlighted the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
KPCC-FM reported that this fall USC will offer Persian language courses for the first time. A $250,000 grant from the Farhang Foundation helped to establish the program. Bruce Zuckerman of the USC Dornsife College said he has many students interested in the Persian language, culture and region. “The Iranian region is one that has great impact on our lives today and has had great impact going back into ancient times,” he said. The story noted that USC and the Farhang Foundation hope to raise more money to create an Iranian studies minor. Payvand also featured the new courses.
American Songwriter ran a Q&A with Christopher Sampson of the USC Thornton School about the school’s Popular Music program, which Sampson founded. He noted that the program has been available as a major in Songwriting since 2009, and has incorporated a diverse range of musical genres. “We have now established a consistent track record of students having professional success to know that the program gets results,” Sampson said. He also highlighted the achievements of Songwriting faculty members Lamont Dozier, Andrea Stolpe and David Poe of the Thornton School.
The Economist featured research by Valter Longo of the USC Davis School finding that short periods of fasting could help cancer patients better tolerate chemotherapy, and may even make treatment more effective. The Globe and Mail (Canada) reported that cancerous tumors are essentially energy hogs. “They need to burn lots of energy just to stay alive,” Longo said. The study was also covered by Irish Independent (Ireland), Magyar Tavirati Iroda (Hungary), Anadolu Ajansi (Turkey), Son Haber (Netherlands), Vietnam+ (Vietnam), Turkish Radio and Television (Turkey) and Romania Libera (Romania).
L.A. Weekly featured research by USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, which has developed video games based around physical movement for people recovering from strokes or other injuries. The games develop strength in specific body parts. Traditional video games weren’t right for these patients, said the institute’s Belinda Lange. “Often, the fun parts of the game would only be unlocked after a series of other levels, which our patients often couldn’t achieve,” she said. The games are now being tested with physical therapists in three major clinics.
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