Obituary

Philip Taietz, professor emeritus in the Department of Rural Sociology, died April 23 in Sarasota, Fla. He had been a resident of Ithaca, however, since his retirement in 1991, and he resided in Sarasota during the winter months.

Taietz, a professor of social gerontology, joined the Cornell faculty in 1946. In 1976 he was named an emeritus professor, but he continued to be an active department member until his death. He was a respected colleague and friend to Cornellians, and his gentle and generous demeanor will be missed, colleagues said.

Taietz was born in Lithuania July 8, 1910. He did his undergraduate work at Brooklyn College, where he received a B.S. in 1935, and he received his Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell in 1951. He was a member of the American Sociological Society; American Gerontological Society and a founding director of the Tompkins County Senior Citizens Center.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Miriam Taietz of Ithaca; a daughter, Elizabeth McSorley of Dublin, Calif.; a son, James B. Lawson of Rochester; and a brother, Samuel Taietz of Yonkers, N.Y.

A memorial service will be held on campus in July. Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Ithaca. Memorial contributions can be sent to Terri Denman, 118 Warren Hall.