Benjamin Shimberg *47

Benjamin Shimberg died Sept. 24, 2003, in Trenton, N.J. He was 85.

Born in Rochester, N.Y., Shimberg graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the U. of Rochester in 1941. He did graduate work in the psychology department at Princeton, leaving in 1947 to attend Purdue, where he received a PhD in industrial psychology in 1949.

Shimberg joined Educational Testing Service in 1953 and spent 35 years there as a research scientist. His studies and books became landmarks in credentialing numerous occupations. He reformed licensing in the Coast Guard, the NYC Police Dept., and the Merchant Marine. He improved examinations for auto mechanics, and for health and safety experts around the world.

Also a social activist, Shimberg worked in New Jersey for racially integrated housing and for public financing of gubernatorial elections, the latter as chairman of Common Cause in the early 1980s.

After retirement, Shimberg and his wife, Helen, volunteered as emergency workers for the American Red Cross, helping disaster victims throughout the US.

Shimberg is survived by his wife, two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.