Albert Higgins

Albert Higgins, Ph.D. ’64

Albert Corbin Higgins was born in New York City on November 1, 1930. He died of cancer on May 5, 2016, in Johnstown, where he had lived for more than 40 years.
He received a BS and an MA from Fordham University, and a PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina. In 1957 he married Anne Nichols and they had five children. Their son Sean was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2001.
Al is survived by his wife and four daughters, Brigitte Higgins-Havlicek of Johnstown, Jessica Catlin of Boulder, CO, Alexandra Higgins of Mayfield, Martha Higgins of Williamsburg, VA, and 10 grandchildren, Nicole, Brittany, Elizabeth, Emily, Rajendra, Sanjay, Wyeth, Piper, Isabelle, and Colemar.
Al was honorably discharged after two years of service as a second lieutenant for the United States Air Force. He was a professor of sociology at the State University at Albany and was awarded numerous presidential citations for excellence in teaching. He was well known in his field for starting and maintaining a SciFraud board, in which he exposed and publicized fraud in the scientific community. He authored a book on the care and treatment of handicapped children and published many articles in professional journals. He was an avid reader and loved discussing science and politics.