Retired director of the Office of Gerontology, M. Leigh Rooke, dies

Dr. M. Leigh Rooke, retired professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions and director of the Office of Gerontology, died on Saturday, Feb. 17, at age 91.

Rooke’s tenure at VCU began at the then-Medical College of Virginia and continued two decades until her retirement in 1980. During that time, she taught in the graduate program of the Department of Hospital and Health Administration and served as director of the healthcare management undergraduate program for long-term care.

In 1978, she played a pivotal role in the creation of the Virginia Center on Aging — the only center of its kind in Virginia — which focuses on interdisciplinary study, research and information resource sharing in the gerontology field.

Rooke earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Richmond and her doctorate from Columbia University.

For more information on Dr. Rooke, visit http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?
pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193287106.