Obituaries

Michael W. Kibby, professor emeritus in the Graduate School of Education and an internationally recognized authority on reading education, died May 16 at his Williamsville home. He was 81.

Born in Salinas, Calif., and raised in Lansing, Mich., Kibby earned an undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. After earning a PhD from the University of Chicago, he joined the UB faculty in 1971 as director of the Reading Clinic.

During his 38 years at the university, Kibby continued to direct the Reading Clinic while also serving as chair of the Department of Learning and Instruction for 12 years and as associate dean of technology in the Graduate School of Education for two years.

Always a popular teacher, Kibby was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994, the Department of Learning and Instruction’s Distinguished Professor Award in 1991 and the Dean’s Apple Award for service to the Graduate School of Education in 2000.

The author of 22 journal articles, Kibby gave numerous presentations, nationally and internationally, on reading education. He served on six national committees monitoring the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) project — often called the Nation’s Report Card — and on the editorial boards of four leading journals in the reading education field.

Family members say Kibby might have thought that his greatest professional accomplishment was the impact he had the lives of millions of children by teaching thousands of reading specialists to diagnose and remediate their reading difficulties. Many of these specialists went on to become faculty members themselves, carrying Kibby’s diagnostic and teaching methods around the world. 

Kibby also brought his commitment to education and service into his community by serving on the Williamsville Board of Education for 13 years — three years as president — and serving for eight years on the Williamsville Board of Trustees – including two years as deputy mayor of the village.

Kibby loved traveling the world, was a fine cook and, with his amazing memory, was able to tell many wonderful stories about growing up in Lansing.

A celebration of life will be held from 1-4 p.m. June 28 at the Reikart House, 5000 Main St., Amherst.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Reach Out and Read are appreciated.