Former AAPOR President Dies

James R. Beniger, a former President of AAPOR and author of the acclaimed study 'The Control Revolution', has died aged 63 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Beniger was born in Sheboygan in 1946 and graduated magna cum laude in history from Harvard College in 1969. He taught communication and sociology at the University of Southern California and Princeton University. His book, The Control Revolution: Technological and Economic Origins of the Information Society, published by Harvard University Press in 1986, received the Association of American Publishers Award in 1986 for the Most Outstanding Book in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. The study argues that the information age grew out of a crisis of control in transportation and manufacturing during the latter half of the 19th century rather than resulting as an incidental or secondary effect of the development of electronic communication technologies.

Beniger taught history, English and creative writing in Beirut, Lebanon and then in Cali, Colombia, and travelled in around 40 countries on five continents. He then returned to his own studies, attaining a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1978. He worked as Associate Editor of the journal Communication Research from 1986 to 1993, editing the acclaimed review essay section 'Far Afield'.

In 1996 he was elected the 53rd President of the American Association of Public Opinion Research some 20 years after he won the Association's Student Paper Award. He also ran the association's online bulletin board for many years. Current AAPOR President Peter Miller described him as 'a charismatic figure who led the Association into the digital age', adding 'We will miss him greatly.

Professor A. Michael Noll, former dean of the Annenberg School, commented: 'the field of communication has lost a delightful human being and a provocative scholar taken far too soon.'

Beniger is survived by his wife, Kay Ferdinandsen; two daughters, his mother and sister.

Thanks to Sheboygan Press, www.sheboyganpress.com , for information for this item.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.