Zimmer, Basil G.

Basil George Zimmer (1920-1990), professor of sociology, was born in Smith Creek, Michigan, on June 29, 1920. He was in the Army during the Second World War and was awarded a Silver Star. He received his bachelor of arts degree in 1947, his master of arts in 1949, and his Ph.D. degree in 1954, all from the University of Michigan. Having grown up on a farm and migrated to the city, he turned his interests to the study of migration, mobility, urban life, and social organization. He was an instructor at Eastern Michigan University in 1950-51 and at the University of Michigan in 1951-52, assistant professor at Florida State University in 1952-53, and in 1953 became Resident Director of the University of Michigan Social Science Research Project. He came to Brown as associate professor of sociology in 1959, and was promoted to professor in 1962. In 1974 he reorganized the Urban Studies Program, of which he was chairman from that time until his retirement in 1986. His book, Rebuilding Cities: The Effects of Dislocation and Relocation of Small Businesses, was published in 1964. He died on June 12, 1990.