2008 Kent award lecture: an historian interprets the future of gerontology

Donald Peterson Kent believed that gerontology would grow through innovative inquiry, effective teaching, and well-evaluated policies and programs that benefited the elderly people. Because advances in research, education, and practice sustain each other, Kent's tripartite agenda continues to be instructive as globalization presents fresh challenges and opportunities for gerontologists to advance our multifaceted, multidisciplinary, multinational enterprise. Donald Kent's vision offers a compelling blueprint for interpreting the field's future as gerontologists engage in theory building, educational trail blazing, and redefining older people's roles in aging societies.