Death, Dying, and Bereavement in a Changing World

About Alan Kemp

Alan R. Kemp is Professor of Sociology at Pierce College where he teaches a course on death dying and bereavement. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award at Pierce and the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of two other textbooks: Abuse in the Family: An Introduction and Abuse in Society: An Introduction. He is both an ordained member of the clergy and a licensed mental health professional. He was recognized by the National Association of Social Workers as a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. For five years he worked with military families under contract with the U.S. Air Force including work in its family advocacy program. He is himself a Vietnam veteran who was among the last American advisors serving on patrol with Vietnamese forces aboard Swift Boats (PCFs). During work on the second edition of this book his wife Claudia was diagnosed with metastatic renal cell cnacer for which she was not successfully treated. He cared for her at home with the support of hospice until shortly before she passed.