Notes the death of N. W. Shock, scientist emeritus of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). As the head of NIA's Gerontology Research Center for 35 yrs, Shock was instrumental in organizing governmental and scientific societies devoted to advancing scientific understanding of aging. One of the 1st scientists to see the importance of using longitudinal studies to study human aging, he distinguished normal aging from age-related disorders or diseases and recognized that people age differently.