The Census Project family mourns the passing of one of our strongest advocates and supporters, Dr. Ken Prewitt. He was more than a member of our Advisory Committee. He helped secure vital funding for our mission and coached us on challenges the Census faced that we needed to focus upon.
We undoubtedly benefited from his broad experiences, not just as a former Census Bureau Director during a challenging era. He turned 90 in March this year, and it was only a few years ago that he retired from Columbia University as a Professor Emeritus where he guided the opening of several foreign campuses. A family member reminded us that not only was he an esteemed academic, but he was also an adventurer who flew and dived, a counter of a country, a world traveler, a writer of books, a gifted administrator and researcher, a planter of trees, and a mentor to generations. He returned to the classroom time and again to be invigorated by young minds.
He was the author/co-author of several books on the decennial Census, the most notable being his expose on the flawed effort to classify Americans: What Is Your Race?
On June 5, the Acting Census Bureau Director George Cook issued a statement, reflecting on Dr. Prewitt’s many contributions to the Census Bureau during his time as its Director from 1998-2001.
Census Project Mourns the Loss of Former Census Bureau Director Dr. Ken Prewitt
The Census Project family mourns the passing of one of our strongest advocates and supporters, Dr. Ken Prewitt. He was more than a member of our Advisory Committee. He helped secure vital funding for our mission and coached us on challenges the Census faced that we needed to focus upon.
We undoubtedly benefited from his broad experiences, not just as a former Census Bureau Director during a challenging era. He turned 90 in March this year, and it was only a few years ago that he retired from Columbia University as a Professor Emeritus where he guided the opening of several foreign campuses. A family member reminded us that not only was he an esteemed academic, but he was also an adventurer who flew and dived, a counter of a country, a world traveler, a writer of books, a gifted administrator and researcher, a planter of trees, and a mentor to generations. He returned to the classroom time and again to be invigorated by young minds.
He was the author/co-author of several books on the decennial Census, the most notable being his expose on the flawed effort to classify Americans: What Is Your Race?
On June 5, the Acting Census Bureau Director George Cook issued a statement, reflecting on Dr. Prewitt’s many contributions to the Census Bureau during his time as its Director from 1998-2001.
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