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The Philolexian Foundation

In service to the Philolexian Society of Columbia University · Founded MDCCCII

The Philolexian Society of Columbia University

Robert N. Butler

Columbia College, Class of 1949

Pulitzer Prize for Why Survive.

From Notable Alumni · Foundation editorial

Pulitzer Prize for Why Survive? Being Old in America; founding director of the National Institute on Aging; coined "ageism." Robert N. Butler (CC 1949) coined "ageism" in 1969 to name the same prejudice he had been documenting clinically for years; Why Survive? Being Old in America (1975) won the Pulitzer Prize and made elder care a respectable subfield of public health. As founding director of the National Institute on Aging (1976) he turned the federal government's attention, however briefly, to gerontology; the geriatric medicine department he established at Mount Sinai in 1982 was the first in the country.

Vital

Full name
Robert N. Butler

Columbia & the Society

Columbia
Class of 1949 (Columbia College)

Works (15)

  1. 1973 Aging and Mental Health: Positive Psychosocial Approaches · Textbook, with Myrna I. Lewis
  2. 1975 Why Survive? Being Old in America · Non-fiction
  3. 1976 Sex After Sixty: A Guide for Men and Women for Their Later Years · With Myrna I. Lewis
  4. 1985 Productive Aging: Enhancing Vitality in Later Life · New York: Springer, 1985
  5. 1987 Modern Biological Theories of Aging · New York: Raven, 1987
  6. 1990 The Promise of Productive Aging · New York: Springer, 1990
  7. 1993 Love and Sex After 60 · New York: Ballantine, 1993
  8. 1993 Who Is Responsible For My Old Age? · New York: Springer, 1993
  9. 1995 Delaying the Onset of Late-Life Dysfunction · New York: Ballantine, 1995
  10. 1997 Cognitive Decline: Strategies for Prevention · London: Greenwich Medical Media, 1997
  11. 1999 Life in an Older America (ed.) · Editorial
  12. 2000 Longevity and Quality of Life: Opportunities and Challenges · New York: Kluwer, 2000
  13. 2002 The New Love and Sex After 60 · New York: Ballantine, 2002
  14. 2008 The Longevity Revolution: The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life · PublicAffairs
  15. 2010 The Longevity Prescription: The 8 Proven Keys to a Long, Healthy Life · Avery/Penguin

Primary sources

The Columbia Daily Spectator

1949-03-22 Elections Set; To Test Rules candidate for permanent class office
Elections Set; To Test Rules New election rules will be tested as the Senior' Class goes to the ballot boxes Wednesday and Thursday to elect permanent class officers. With the polls open on both days from 10:50 A. M. to 3:10 P. M. in the lobby of Hamilton Hall, voters will be checked both by Bursar's Receipt and by Class Roster. Voting is open to all members of the Senior Class in the College and professional option. Regulations governing the elections are those set up by the Student Board There will be a meeting of the Elections Commission today at 4:15 P. M. in Room 418 John Jay. Attendance is compulsory for members of the Commission. There is still a need for candidates and interested students are asked to come. after the recent difficulty concerning the nomination of candidates. Statutes governing the voting having specified the following procedure to be used in casting…

Columbia Daily Spectator, 1949-03-22 →

The Foundation's research archive

Philolexian Foundation research file: handwritten list of Philos by class year

listed under the year heading 1949 · Confidence: CERTAIN

other_printed (Philolexian alumni newsletter)

feted at the Metropolitan Club on his 80th birthday · Confidence: CERTAIN

External references

Community-maintained record

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