Gerald Suttles

1932 - 2017

Gerald Dale Suttles, born (1932) and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina, died at Bloomington Hospice House (Indiana) on May 11, 2017 after a long and difficult illness. He was the only child of Gertrude (Trudy) and Berlin Suttles. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, received his BA in Sociology from Reed College and his MA and Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A renowned urban sociologist, he held faculty positions in sociology at the University of Michigan and the State University of New York, Stony Brook, but spent most of his career at the University of Chicago, where he helped revitalize the Chicago School of Sociology through his ethnographic research on urban communities. He retired to Bloomington, Indiana in 1997. He leaves behind his wife of almost 47 years, Kirsten Grønbjerg, and many devoted friends in the U.S., Denmark, and beyond who treasured his intellect, generosity, loyalty, and kindness. Memorial celebrations are being planned for Bloomington, Chicago, and Denmark. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in honor of Gerald Suttles to the University of Chicago in support of Doctoral Fellowships in Ethnographic Research in Sociology; the Indiana University Foundation in support of the Gerald Suttles Fellowship in Doctoral Ethnographic Research; the Bloomington Hospital Foundation in support of the Alzheimer's Community Outreach Program or Hospice House; or the Animal Welfare Fund at the Community Foundation for Bloomington and Monroe County.