A historical study of Arthur S. Flemming: his impact on federal education and training programs relating to aging during the period 1958-1978

Abstract

This historical study of Arthur S. Flemming described the changes in his activities and views of federal education and training programs relating to aging. Flemming's public administration career included service as Chief of the Office of Defense Mobilization, Secretary of DHEW, and chairman of many presidential advisory boards and commissions. A career-long thread of concern for older Americans extended from his opposition to mandatory retirement as Civil Service Commissioner to his outstanding efforts as Commissioner on Aging to provide education and training programs for service personnel and practitioners in aging. At the end of his tenure as Commissioner on Aging, a national aging network existed that involved hundreds of thousands of paid and volunteer persons who served the needs cf the aging, and education and training related to aging had an organizational foundation at the federal level, in institutions of higher education, in the private sector, and in voluntary organizations.