Useems Receive the Charles Horton Cooley Award
At its recent Fall Conference, held at Calvin College on October 16, 1999, the Michigan Sociological Association presented the Charles Horton Cooley Award to John and Ruth Hill Useem, Professors Emeritus at Michigan State University. The Cooley Award is given annually for outstanding lifelong contributions to sociology in Michigan. Selection of the Useems marks the first time that two co-recipients have been named.
Both John and Ruth served on the faculty of MSU for more than three decades: John from 1949 until his retirement in 1981 and Ruth from 1951 until her retirement in 1985. John also chaired the Department of Sociology from 1959 to 1965. They have traveled extensively and served on the committee that established the Fulbright program of faculty exchanges.
John graduated (Phi Beta Kappa) from UCLA. After pursuing graduate studies at Harvard University, he received his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1939. He is the author of well over one hundred articles and reports on comparative sociology, social anthropology, and policy studies. He has held numerous professional positions with organizations such as the Social Science Research Council, the American Sociological Association, the North Central Sociological Association, and the National Science Foundation. John celebrated his eightieth birthday at the MSA Conference.
Ruth graduated from Miami University (Ohio) and received her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1947. She has conducted research and has published numerous studies on women in development, Third World culture, and – a field in which she pioneered – "third culture children." The central emphasis of her teaching has been combining sociological, cultural anthropological, and social psychological perspectives for understanding people whose settings are undergoing rapid change. She has been active in the North Central Sociological Association, the American Sociological Association, and numerous other organizations. Over the course of her career she has supervised more than thirty-five Ph.D. dissertations, including that of current MSU Sociology Department Chair, Chris Vanderpool.
The Useems, who were married on June 6, 1940, continue to reside in East Lansing. They have three sons, Michael, Howard, and Bert, two of whom (Michael and Bert) are sociologists; and they have seven grandchildren.
- Jay Weinstein, Eastern Michigan University
Roger Nemeth Given the Marvin Olsen Award
Roger Nemeth of Hope College was given the Marvin Olsen Award for distinguished service to sociology. In presenting the award, Alan Hill, last year's recipient, said the following:
"When Betty Jones introduced me to the MSA in 1987 among the first people I met was Roger Nemeth. I liked him at once. Maybe it was the southern connection: While he's a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and attended Western Michigan University majoring in sociology and history and graduating summa cum laude, he did his graduate work at the University of North Carolina. My home state is South Carolina - right next door - where the name of Howard Odum is revered among sociologists. In fact, Roger won the Howard Odum Award at UNC as the outstanding sociology graudate student.
"Or it may have been our shared interest in the sociology of religion….
"Or our love for undergraduate teaching: He has taught at Hope College since returning to Michigan in 1983 and says teaching is his 'first love.'
"Or maybe it was our shared belief in empirical sociology….
"Whatever it was, my respect for Roger only grew as time passed. I learned he had helped breathe new life into the MSA in the early 80's and worked with Marvin Olsen on our constitution. In 1989, the MSA recognized his teaching with its award for outstanding teaching. Hope College has also honored his teaching of sociology with its own award. But he has nevertheless found time to write two books and enough articles and papers to fill four single-spaced pages in his vita. He recently received a $400,000 Lilly Foundation grant for the study of religious denominations. And he maintains a continuing interest in third-world demography.
"Roger has worked tirelessly to foster the profession of sociology in Michigan. He is an outstanding scholar and teacher. His vision for the science of sociology is in the tradition of Weber, Durkheim, Odum and Merton.
"And did I mention that he's a heck of a nice guy!
"I can think of no more deserving recipient of the Marvin Olsen Award for outstanding service to sociology than Roger Nemeth."
- Alan Hill, Delta College