In memoriam: Cyril Houle, Professor Emeritus in Education

Cyril Houle (Ph.D.'40), Professor Emeritus in Education and an expert in adult education, died May 6 in Sarasota, Fla., where he lived. He was 85.

A Chicago faculty member for 40 years, Houle came to the University in 1939.

During World War II, he served as administrator of several of the University's wartime training programs for servicemen. From 1944 to 1952, he was Dean of the University College, an adult education division. In 1953, he began a full-time career in teaching and research and helped develop educational programs leading to graduate degrees in adult education and higher education.

He was the author of numerous books on adult education, including Universities in Adult Education (1952), Continuing Your Education (1964), The Design of Education (1972) and The External Degree (1973).

In addition to his appointment at the University, he was a senior program consultant for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation from 1976 to 1995. In 1996, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation established the Cyril O. Houle Scholars in Adult and Continuing Education program to promote new learning and research in adult education. Under the program, the foundation awards $40,000 stipends for writing and research in adult education.

Houle is survived by his wife, Bettie of Sarasota; his son, David of Los Angeles; and his grandson, Christopher.