Lester A. Kirkendall

Lester A. Kirkendall (November 15, 1903 – 1991) was a humanistic sexologist,[1] the author of many works and the recipient of the Humanist of the Year Award in 1983.[2] He was a pioneer in the field of sexual education.[3]

Career

Kirkendall was born on November 15, 1903 and received his doctorate from Teacher's College at Columbia University in 1935. He started his career as a teacher and school administrator and often provided help to children with sexual questions or concerns. This was the inspiration for his first book, Sex Adjustment in Young Men and for specializing in sex education. He became the first educator in the United States to teach college-level classes in human sexuality and he did so at Oregon State University in 1960.[4] He retired as a teacher in 1969.[5]

In 1964 he co-founded the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)[6] which promoted sex education, increased that education in schools and supported the study of sexuality.[7][8] He wrote more than 13 books about sexuality and sex education and over 300 articles. He was the associate editor of 8 publications including Sexology, the Journal of Sex Research and Sexual Digest.[5][9]

Writing

[10]

  • Sex Adjustment in Young Men (1940)
  • A New Bill of Sexual Rights and Responsibilities
  • Putting Our Environment in Order
  • The Battles of Tim LaHaye
  • Alleged "SIECUS-Humanist Conspiracy"

Awards

He received many awards during his lifetime for his cutting-edge work in sexual health including:[5][11]

  • Humanist of the Year Award (1983)
  • World Congress on Sexuality's International Award for Promoting Sexuality Education
  • SSSS Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Human Sexuality (1984).

Death

Kirkendall died in May 1991.[5]

References
  1. Kirkendall, Lester A. (May–June 1983). "What Lies Ahead for Humanism". Humanist. 43 (3): 5.
  2. "Humanist of the Year Award". American Humanist Association. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  3. "HUMANIST VOICES AGAINST THE GENITAL MUTILATION OF CHILDREN" (PDF). NOCIRC PDF. May 4, 2020.
  4. Guidelines for Moral Instruction in California Schools: A Report Accepted by the State Board of Education, May 9, 1969. The Department. 1969.
  5. Bullough, Vern L.; Bullough, Bonnie (2014-01-14). Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-82509-6.
  6. Brown, Lorna (2012-12-06). Sex Education in the Eighties: The Challenge of Healthy Sexual Evolution. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4613-3270-1.
  7. Kasun, Jacqueline Rorabeck (1999). The War Against Population: The Economics and Ideology of World Population Control. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-712-0.
  8. Engel, Randy (September 1993). Sex Education: The Final Plague. TAN Books. ISBN 978-1-5051-0348-9.
  9. "Lester Kirkendall Oral History Interview · Special Collections & Archives Research Center". scarc.library.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  10. "Author: Lester Kirkendall". Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  11. Murn, Charles (2018-05-30). The Best of the Humanist: Humanist Philosophy 1928-1973. Humanist Press. ISBN 978-0-931779-78-7.
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