With any project of this scope, there are many people who make important contributions of all kinds. First and foremost, we extend our deep appreciation to Leslie Morgan, lead author on previous editions of this book. Leslie’s social constructionist perspective on aging, knowledge of gerontology as a field of scholarship and practice, and commitment to students continue to serve as the foundation of this textbook.

We would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the staff at Springer Publishing Company, especially our steadfast colleague and editor, the late Sheri W. Sussman, who blessed this new collaboration with her insights, humor, and encouragement. We also thank Kate Dimock who took over as our editor and succeeded in keeping us going, and Mehak Massand, assistant editor, for her guidance and support. We also wish to thank our colleagues and graduate assistants at Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center and Oregon State University’s School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences for their support. At Miami University, special thanks are due to Da Jung Chang, for his diligence in finding new data and creating visualizations; Wendy de Leon, for her insights and suggestions about how to write for students; and Lisa Grant, for her conscientious efforts on our ever-evolving bibliography of classic and new works in the field. At Oregon State, special thanks are similarly due to Corine Tyler and Kara McElvaine for their thoughtful reactions to the text and skillful literature-searching and data-gathering.

The colleagues, students, and alums who wrote essays for this edition have contributed immeasurably to its timeliness, breadth, and depth. Thank you Dawn Carr, Da Jung Chang, Chelsea Goldstein, Leah Janssen, Elizabeth Bayler Levaro, Senjooti Roy, Shamatree Shakya, Sara Stemen, and Corine Tyler.

We would also like to acknowledge our mentors and colleagues who have shaped our professional lives and perspectives. These include Robert Atchley, who contributed to the vision for this book and to the first chapter in the earliest editions, and Rob Hudson, who provided welcome and consistent praise for the importance of our social constructionist perspective. We also thank treasured mentors Vern Bengtson, Glen Elder, Gunhild Hagestad, Joe Hendricks, Neal Ritchey, and Mildred Seltzer, among many others. Finally, we would like to acknowledge our extended families and closest friends; these are the people who give us our roots and our wings, and remind us of what matters most in our lives.