Kaplan, Oscar J. 1915-1994.

Southern Californian pollsters. Oscar Kaplan (1915-1994) is best known locally for surveys he and his wife, Rose, conducted about all aspects of San Diego life. He was also a reknowned psychologist and pioneer of gerontology in the United States. As a gerontologist, Oscar Kaplan authored, Mental Disorders in Late Life (1945), the first book on geriatric psychology; was appointed as a special consultant in gerontology to the U.S. Public Health Service in 1946; helped to initiate the White House Conference on Aging in 1950; founded the American Society of Aging in 1955, and was the fouding editor of the journal, The Gerontologist. As a pollster, Kaplan founded the Center for Survey Research at San Diego State University in 1948, which he continued to serve until his death, and developed in the same year the first university course in the nation devoted to methods of measuring public opinion.

From the description of Oscar and Rose Kaplan Public Opinion Surveys, 1934-1994. (University of California, San Diego). WorldCat record id: 32459062