Joan Aldous, Notre Dame’s William R. Kenan Jr. professor of sociology emerita, died Wednesday at the age of 88 at the Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation Center in South Bend, according to a University press release.
Aldous came to Notre Dame in 1976 and became the first female to hold an endowed professorship at the University at a time when there were few women on the faculty. Until her retirement in 2012, she researched and taught about family sociology, family policy, gender, work and families and intergenerational relationships.
In 1988, Aldous helped establish Notre Dame’s Gender Studies Program, the press release stated.
“Joan left behind an extraordinary record of scholarship, and her contributions to Notre Dame and to our department are immeasurable,” professor and sociology chair Rory McVeigh said in the press release. “At department lunches held for incoming graduate students, she would inevitably introduce herself by saying, ‘Joan Aldous is my name and family sociology is my game.’
“She was a wonderful colleague and friend to many of us who were fortunate enough to get to know her.”
Aldous graduated from Kansas State University in 1948 and earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas in 1949, the press release stated. Her doctoral degree in sociology came from the University of Minnesota in 1963, and she was on the faculty there until 1974.
Palmer Funeral Home in River Park will handle arrangements, the press release said.
