Remembering Gary Kielhofner
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1949-2010
he AHS community of faculty, students, staff and alumni was shocked and saddened by the death of occupational therapy professor Gary Kielhofner, PhD, on Sept. 2, 2010. He joined the college in 1986. As holder of the college’s only endowed professorship, the Wade-Meyer Chair, and as former head of OT for 20 years, Kielhofner was recognized and admired far beyond his department. Indeed, Kielhofner was admired around the world. His development of the groundbreaking “Model of Human Occupation” changed the face of occupational therapy practice internationally by offering a new understanding of how human occupation is motivated and performed. During his lifetime, Kielhofner gave hundreds of invited lectures and published 19 books and more than 150 scientific papers. His death prompted countless heartfelt tributes from individuals and organizations worldwide. Here in AHS, Kielhofner led our occupational therapy program to its current rank (by U.S. News & World Report) of No. 4 among all U.S. OT programs and No. 1 among those at public universities. He also was instrumental in creating our nationally renowned doctoral program in disability studies and the OT doctoral program. And it is here in AHS that Gary Kielhofner is missed most. On these pages, his colleagues, friends and students remember the man who touched their lives and, in many cases, shaped their futures.
Gary always had a smile and a friendly hello to a colleague whether he knew you well or you were just an acquaintance. He respected people and appreciated them for who they were and what they had contributed to the profession. I truly believe he had a love for the profession and appreciated those who shared his feelings. Coralie “Corky” (Hirsch) Glantz OT ’61, Professional colleague of Kielhofner
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