History

The concept of facilitating the continuing engagement of senior individuals, especially after formal retirement, was developed as early as 1978 by Dr. Henry Koffler.  Throughout his career, he was disturbed by seeing so many individuals "put out to pasture" after retirement.  This was being largely rationalized by the legitimate need to make room -- spatially, organizationally, and financially -- for younger (i.e. more vigorous, more up-to-date, and lower salaried) individuals.  Nevertheless, he knew that this practice damages not only the retirees but also society as a whole, by limiting their ability to fulfill professional and personal creative needs and goals, and thereby to continue their contributions to the common good.

Dr. Koffler began considering the possibility of a living and learning community that would not only meet the physical needs of its members but also provide a stimulating environment in which residents could lead productive, vital, healthy, and enjoyable lives.  Furthermore, he anticipated that the residents would provide support for each other as an "extended family" -- supplementing, or in some cases substituting for, the support given by their biological families.

Dr. Koffler's responsibilities as Academic Vice-President at the University of Minnesota (1975-1979), Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1979-1982), and President of the University of Arizona (1982-1991), made it impossible for him to implement this vision.  When he announced that he would step aside as President in 1991 and return to the faculty, however, friends and associates, many from the University's Foundation Board, encouraged him to implement the development of such a community.

So encouraged, he wrote a preliminary plan for the endeavor in 1991.  The plan received support from his successor, Dr. Manuel Pacheco, who served on the first board of directors of the Arizona Senior Academy after its formal incorporation.  During Dr. Pacheco's presidency, the Academy became an affiliate of the University, providing certain but not all faculty benefits to members of the Academy.  However, because the Academy is an independent non-profit and tax-exempt educational and charitable organization, its affiliation with the University does not constitute a legal connection.

In 1993, when Dr. Koffler began to implement this plan, it became apparent that members wishing to live in an active community must receive excellent health care that supports a healthful lifestyle.  While researching this type of community, Dr. Koffler was introduced to the concept of continuing care retirement communities (CCRC's).  This led him to Lloyd Lewis, the first president of the Kendal Corporation and the then president of the Kendal Communities Development Corporation (KCDC), Kendal's development arm.  Lloyd Lewis was a leading figure in this industry and Kendal was regarded as an organization that operated some of the best CCRC's in the country.  Dr. Koffler's need for advice resulted in a meeting with Mr. Lewis in Philadelphia, which eventually grew into a working relationship between KCDC and the Academy.

This relationship grew slowly, as Kendal's board grappled with the proposal to develop a "Kendal at Tucson" -- so far west from its Pennsylvania base.  However, the positive response to the first Academy brochure, mailed to potential members, and the results of follow-up interviews conducted by Hamlin, a well regarded company serving this industry, persuaded the Kendal board to proceed with "Kendal at Tucson".

Unfortunately, Lloyd Lewis' subsequent retirement from KCDC and the growing pains of his newly created for-profit company, US Retirement Communities (USRC), which took this project over from Kendal, caused additional delays in starting the development of what later became known as The Academy Village.  During this time, the ASA Development Corporation (ASADC) was started as a subsidiary of USRC with Mr. Paul Lewis, a former KCDC vice-president with extensive experience in the development and operation of CCRC's, as its president.  Later, this subsidiary became an independent corporation.

Construction began early in 2000 and the first residents took possession of their houses in the Fall of the same year.  Problems arose in the Fall of 2002 (see the end of the Brief Summary page).  But these are now totally in the past.  There are approximately 100 people owning property and living at the Academy Village, Henry Koffler's dream of an extended family and a vibrant community has long been a reality, and growth has resumed at a vigorous pace.