The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarshp (F)

The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship for The Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology was established in 2005 by Anne T. Nixon, who graduated from The University of Akron with three degrees, culminating with a master’s in guidance and counseling, while raising her family.

Mrs. Nixon is a strong advocate for higher education and older adults. She grew up on East Buchtel Avenue in what is today the shadow of The University of Akron’s Guzzetta Hall and the Goodyear Polymer Science Center, where her parents operated Terry’s Place, a restaurant often frequented by students and faculty at the University. Mrs. Nixon also graduated from Spicer Elementary School, Central High School, and Hammel Business College, all of which were located near the University. This close proximity to academia helped drive Mrs. Nixon’s desire for learning. Her interest in and dedication to the betterment of life for older people were sparked by helping her parents as they became elderly. The experience made her vividly aware that ensuring a better life for older adults, including her and her husband, was a critical need.

Since 1976, Mrs. Nixon has worked to affect positive societal change for senior citizens at local, state, and national levels. She is described as exhibiting “tireless dedication and service as a leader and supporter of aging issues for older Americans.” In recognition for her work, Anne T. Nixon was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame by Governor Robert Taft and the Ohio Department of Aging (2005); honored as the “Outstanding Advocate of the Year” by the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging (1999); inducted along with her husband, Harold E. Nixon, into the Area Agency on Aging 10B Hall of Fame (1995); received the “Outstanding Senior Citizen Award” by the Ohio Department on Aging (1987); and has been privileged to be recognized with many other prestigious awards from AARP, the Senior Citizens Commission of Akron, the Ohio Area Agencies on Aging, and other organizations.

Three consecutive governors of the state of Ohio (1988-2003) appointed Mrs. Nixon to The Ohio Department on Aging’s Advisory Council, and in 1995 she served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. She is presently secretary of the board of directors of the Area Agency on Aging, 10B, Inc., where she is on the Executive, Elder Rights, Nominating and PASSPORT committees. Mrs. Nixon is also serving as the community representative on Summa Health System’s Akron City Hospital’s Ethics Committee and is secretary of her church’s parish council. In the past, Mrs. Nixon also has held positions of leadership in her local and state AARP Chapters, including being appointed as the AARP Area 5 vice president, where she guided the work of field, program, and legislative volunteers in the five Great Lake states.

Recognizing the importance of nurturing others who share a similar passion in advocating the needs of older adults in the community, as well as the desire to give back to her alma mater, Mrs. Nixon created The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship at The University of Akron. The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship also recognizes the work of Dr. Harvey L. Sterns, director of the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology.

The purpose of The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship is to provide tuition, fees, book assistance, summer work stipends, and/or conferences for an undergraduate student in his or her junior or senior year or a graduate student enrolled in the Gerontology Certificate Program. The director of the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, in consultation with the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology Curriculum Committee and the approval of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will select The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship recipient, who must be a citizen of the United States of America, based on academic merit and a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career working with and advocating for older adults.

Mrs. Nixon and her late husband, Harold E. Nixon, are the proud parents of two adult children and three grandchildren.