In Memoriam: Phoebe Stone Liebig, 1933-2021

Phoebe Liebig, a professor emerita of gerontology at the University of Southern California, died on February 24. She was 87 years old.

A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Liebig studied at Radcliffe College from 1951 to 1954 prior to moving to Los Angeles, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in 1955 and master’s degree in 1956 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Following graduation, she worked in UCLA’s classics department and taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

After completing her Ph.D. in public administration at the University of Southern California, Dr. Liebig joined the faculty at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the university as a research assistant professor. Her research largely focused on public policies and their effects on older adults in communities throughout the U.S. and across the world, including Fulbright-supported study in India.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Liebig served as the director of Pacific Geriatric Education Center and was director of information outreach for the university’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Dr. Liebig retired from teaching but remained active in the university community and served as president of the university’s Retired Faculty Association from 2011 to 2014. She also served on the editorial boards of The Gerontologist and the Journal of Aging & Social Policy. In 2015, the University of Southern California gave her the Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award.