In Fond Memory of Glenn I. Kirkland
Founding Board President
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The Alzheimer’s Association mourns the passing of Glenn I. Kirkland, The Association’s founding president. In 1979, Glenn was a physicist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and was caring for his wife Grace, who had dementia. At this time there was very little printed information about Alzheimer’s disease. No treatments were available, and health care professionals knew very little about it. Glenn and a small group of dedicated volunteers founded a nonprofit organization, (which became the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Maryland Chapter), to fill a support and information gap for families, and to advocate for Alzheimer’s research funding.
Glenn was a relentless advocate on behalf of families touched by Alzheimer’s disease. He gained the attention of policy makers in his efforts to promote the development of supportive services and funding for research. Glenn’s greatest contribution to creating public awareness about Alzheimer’s disease was his decision to open his private life to documentary filmmakers from the University of Maryland who filmed Glenn and Grace’s journey over seven years of the devastating progression of the disease. The resulting videos have been shown world-wide as teaching aids in the care of people with dementia.
Glenn designated his share of the royalties from the sale of the films to a fund within the Alzheimer’s Association to enhance the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s and their family members. Uses of this fund might include medical equipment, respite care for the caregiver, or resources to alleviate a crisis situation. Since its inception, the Kirkland Fund has provided essential services to hundreds of families.
Glenn’s gentle but persistent leadership to empower family caregivers calls to mind the words of the philosopher Lao Tzu: “...of a good leader…when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say, “We did it ourselves.”
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