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George L. Maddox
George Maddox was born on July 2, 1925 in McComb, Mississippi

Biography: As a teenager, Maddox worked on the railroads in Mississippi. This seemed to have an impact on him. He saw black men with more railroad experience earn the same 65 cents an hour that he received as a new white employee. Maddox said that this time in his life "was the beginning of a revolutionizing experience” (Oates, 2005).

Maddox joined the military during WWII and when he got out, he attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., on the G.I. Bill. He then attended Michigan State University where he completed his Doctoral degree in Sociology. Shortly after, he returned to Mississippi to teach. Maddox taught white students a Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and black students at the nearby Tougaloo College in Jackson during a time of racial segregation in the south. He and his wife were the targets of verbal threats and were in fear for their lives due to bomb threats because he taught black students. He was “forcefully asked” to leave the state. Maddox and his family found a new home in North Carolina after hearing about a teaching position there. (Oates, 2005).

Maddox started at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1959 as a Russell Sage Foundation post-doc in Medical Sociology. He was invited by Bud Busse, Director for the Center of Aging at Duke, to join the Gerontological Society of America. He calls himself an, “accidental Gerontologist, a Medical Sociologist with no previous interest in aging” (Member spotlight, 2008). Maddox was professor of Medical Sociology at the Duke University Medical Center. He went on to become Aging Center Director of Research, and then Center Director (1972-1982). In the 1980s and 1990s, Maddox created a Public Policy Program in the Center that focused on the development of community initiatives in adult education, community-based Long Term Care, and programs supporting family care for Alzheimer-Dementia patients. His focus was a commitment to translating multidisciplinary Gerontological research into effective community programs for older adults. (Member spotlight, 2008).

Maddox “retired” from Duke in 1995, but came out of retirement shortly after as a research consultant for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. After his initial consulting work, he signed an eight-year contract with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation so they could retain him as a consultant. (Member spotlight, 2008). Maddox still lives in Durham, NC with his wife, Evelyn.

Career Highlights and Accomplishments: Maddox is highly regarded nationally, as well as internationally, for his work in Aging and Sociology. Much of his work focused on adaptations made in later life and developing means of assessing health. He studied these factors during his time as an Investigator and Coordinator of Research in Longitudinal Studies at the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke University. He also researched and compared international health services. He was the principal investigator that led to the development of the Online Assessment Roll System (OARS) information system. Maddox served as a Research Training Program Faculty at Duke University as well as a World Health Organization consultant (LTC Staff).

Maddox served as the Director of the Aging Center's Long Term Care Resources Program at Duke University. He also directed the Aging Center at Duke. He is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Medical Sociology (with an emphasis in Psychiatry). Maddox was previously Chairman of the University Council on Aging and Human Development, an interdisciplinary council on aging, and founding member of the National Institute on Aging Council (LTC Staff).

Maddox was a previous Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Aging (LTC Staff).

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions: In 1986, he received the Kleemeier Award, the most prestigious award given by the Gerontological Society of America for outstanding research in the field of gerontology. (Member spotlight).He was a founding Member of Council of the National Institutes on Aging (NIH) which brought a multidisciplinary approach to aging. In honor of his work at Duke University, the George L. Maddox Award was created to honor those who have excelled in creative programming for older adults (North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services) Selected Publications:
 * Clark, D.O., Maddox, G.L., & Steinhauser, K. (1993). Race, aging, and functional health.Journal of Aging and Health, 5, 536.
 * Maddox, G.L. (Ed.). (2001). The Encyclopedia of Aging (3rd ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Company.

References:
 * About us. (2010). Retrieved from Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development website:http://www.geri.duke.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=59


 * LTC Staff - Long Term Care Resources Program. Retrieved from Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development website:http://ltc.duke.edu/s_LTCStaff_maddox.htm


 * Member spotlight: Q&A with George L. Maddox, PhD. (2008). Retrieved from The Gerontoligical Society of America website:http://www.geron.org/Membership/member-spotlight/649


 * Mississippi Writers Page Newsletter for June 28-July 4, 2002. (2002). Retrieved from The Mississippi Writers Page website:http://www.olemiss.edu/mwp/news/nl/2002/0628.html


 * North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services: Aging Awards.(2011, October 25).Retrieved from the NC DAAS website:http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/award/award.htm


 * Oates, N. (2005, October 13). Even in 'retirement,' George Maddox still serves the community.Duke Today. Retrieved from http://today.duke.edu/2005/10/maddox.html