Three appointed named professors

11:35 a.m., Nov. 3, 2003--Three members of the University faculty—Carole Haber, Howard Johnson and James Richards—were appointed named professors, effective Sept. 1, in recognition of their service and contributions to the University and the scholarly community at large.

Carole Haber, Richards Chair in History
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

Carole Haber has been named Richards Chair in History. In a letter to Haber, President David P. Roselle wrote, “Your scholarly research has brought international recognition as a founder of a new and important field of historical study, aging and gerontology. Your colleagues view you as a dedicated and successful teacher, and you are widely appreciated for your service to the University.”

Haber, who has written many articles and made presentations on aging, is the author of “Beyond 65: The Dilemma of Old Age in America’s Past” and coauthor of “ Old Age and the Search for Security: An American Social History” and “Key Words in Sociocultural Gerontology.” Haber is a fellow and has served on the board of the Gerontology Society of America and is an associate fellow of the Institute on Aging at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been selected by “Profiles in Gerontology” as one of 300 past and present scholars who have shaped the field of gerontology.

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Haber received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Richards Professorship memorializes Lydia H. Richards (1872-1959), Robert H. Richards Sr. (1873-1951) and Robert H. Richards Jr. (1905-1977). Lydia Richards served on the Women’s College advisory committee to the Board of Trustees. Robert H. Richards Sr. was a leader of the Delaware bar and member of the UD Board of Trustees, and Robert H. Richards Jr., who graduated from UD in 1928, succeeded his father as head of the Wilmington law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger.

Howard Johnson, Alumni Distinguished Professor of History and Black American Studies
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

Howard Johnson has been appointed Alumni Distinguished Professor of History and Black American Studies. He also is acting director of the Black American Studies Program.

In a letter to Johnson, Roselle wrote, “Your research and publications on immigration and political economy in the Caribbean have established you as an internationally respected scholar and a leader in your field. You have a strong record as a teacher and mentor, and your service to the University of Delaware has been exemplary.”

Johnson’s research focuses on Caribbean history, and he has published extensively in his field, including the books “The White Minority in the Caribbean,” “The Bahamas from Slavery to Servitude, 1783-1933,” “The Bahamas in Slavery and Freedom” and “After the Crossing: Immigrants and Minorities in Caribbean Creole Society.” He currently is working on an historiography of Jamaica and a study of Chinese and Lebanese minority traders in Jamaica and their relationship for the past two centuries with the Creole population.

Johnson has given several presentations and guest lectures, including the prestigious Elsa V. Goveia Memorial Lecture at the University of West Indies in April. Joining the UD faculty in 1990, Johnson is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and received his doctorate from the University of Oxford.

James G. Richards has been named Distinguished Professor of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. In a letter to Richards, Roselle wrote, “Your appointment to this endowed professorship is in recognition of your notable record as a scholar and a teacher, and your distinguished service to the University and beyond.”

A cofounder of UD’s interdisciplinary graduate program in Biomechanics and Movement Science, Richards served as the program’s first academic director. Richards conducts research in sports biomechanics and rehabilitation biomechanics.

James G. Richards, Distinguished Professor of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences
Photo by Duane Perry

His work in sports biomechanics has focused primarily on figure skating jumps and overhand/underhand throwing motions. Over the past 10 years, Richards has worked with the United States Figure Skating Association on projects designed to improve jumping technique and reduce training injuries. The on-ice laboratory he developed to analyze skaters is the only known one of its kind, and Richards has a contract with Jackson-Ultima Inc. in Canada to develop a figure skating boot that addresses injuries associated with figure skating.

Richards recently presented a keynote address on problems associated with the measurement of shoulder motion at the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society meeting in May. His research in rehabilitation biomechanics has focused primarily on cerebral palsy gait, and much of this work has been done in collaboration with the Department of Orthopedics at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, where Richards helped design and implement the Gait Analysis Laboratory.

Richards chaired the Faculty Senate Committee on Graduate Studies in 1998, the Coordinating Committee in 2000 and served as Faculty Senate president in 2001-02. A graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, Richards received his master’s degree from UD and his doctorate from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Article by Sue Moncure

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