Gwendolyn Bedford, Ph.D., Advocate for the Elderly
Gwendolyn Bedford was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 2, 1911. Her father's name was John Cook Murdoch and her mother's name was Maud Smith Murdoch. Gwendolyn Bedford married Harry Clay Bedford, now deceased. Her inspiration for her work was curiosity, learning and understanding more about how things worked and what they did. Bedford considered luck in being in the right place and at the right time helped her. But what happened at the time and in the place, for her meant: the beginnings of the use of computers in management and operations; the United States efforts into the exploration of space; and recognition of the importance of effective communication in problem-solving and cultural advancement.
Gwendolyn Bedford believed her highest achievements were helping a few gifted technicians express their ideas, present their achievements to the proper persons, and speed them on to constructive use. After Bedford retired from her career, she
worked as a volunteer in behalf of the elderly population and the hard of hearing segments of the population. Bedford felt that the hard of hearing continued disadvantaged between the deaf and the hearing world and that the deaf were being left out in the national agenda.
In regards to her plans for the future, Gwendolyn Bedford intended to do what she could to improve the quality of life for older Americans. She intended to do what she could to improve the quality of life for the hard of hearing persons of all ages.
Gwendolyn Bedford continued as of this writing to volunteer time and work for the improvement of life for the elderly and the hard of hearing. In this capacity Gwendolyn served as an advocate for the elderly.
