William H. Kolberg, Former Head of NAB, Dies
William H. Kolberg, who helped tie the fate of America’s schools to the country’s economic success in the minds of many policymakers, died July 3 in Washington. He was 70.
Mr. Kolberg headed the Washington-based National Alliance of Business for 16 years. During his tenure there he sought greater cooperation between business leaders and educators in improving public schools.
During his career, Mr. Kolberg also served on the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, which wrote the influential report “America’s Choice: High Skills or Low Wages.”
Samuel A. Kirk
Samuel A. Kirk, known as the “father of special education,” died July 21 in Tucson, Ariz.
The 92-year-old educator, author, and former president of the Council for Exceptional Children was best known for his work in the field of mental retardation. He coined the term “learning disability.”
Mr. Kirk was widely recognized as a trendsetter in the special education field and was the author of Educating Exceptional Children.
He began his career working with mentally retarded delinquent boys. He developed in 1947 a special education program for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Illinois.
