An Idea Worth Fulfilling
History of the School of Social Work (1950-1983)

BEGINNINGS

On April 23, 1937, at the Hilton Hotel in Abilene, Texas, several concerned and far- sighted members of the Texas Conference of Social Welfare met to discuss a common problem of growing concern. As administrators of various social welfare agencies, they were chronically troubled by a shortage of qualified social workers in the state. The Social Security Act of 1935 had mandated the creation of new social welfare agencies and programs to minister to the needs of children, veterans, the unemployed, the disabled, the aged, and the poor The new agencies were now in place, but there was a problem--a lack of trained workers to carry out the programs. Furthermore, there was no facility in the State of Texas which provided adequate training for social welfare workers.

Walter W. WhitsonWalter W. Whitson of Houston, then president of the Texas Conference of Social Welfare, alarmed at the growing need for workers and the increasingly serious shortage, had appointed a committee to "consider the question of social work education in Texas." He had asked them to meet on this day. Elizabeth Wyatt of Austin Child Welfare Services served as chairperson. Among the other fifteen members of the original committee were Whitson; Dr. Warner E. Gettys of The University of Texas Department of Sociology; Grace Williams of the Works Progress Administration; Dr. Edwin Elliott, Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board; Dr. Daniel Russell, head of the Department of Rural Sociology at Texas A & M College; Gaynell Hawkins of the Dallas Civic Federation; and, Anne Wilkens of the Dallas Educational Program for Social Services, who would later become one of the original faculty members of the School.

It didn't take long for the newly- formed committee to agree on the need for a "training school" (as two- year graduate schools were then called) in Texas--or to decide on a name for themselves: The Committee on Professional Training in Social Work. The committee agreed not only that there should be a training school in Texas, but that it should be one of the finest quality. Nothing less than a two- year graduate program that would meet the requirements for accreditation by the American Association of Schools of Social Work would be acceptable. The University of Texas "seemed the logical place" for such a school.

Thus began a twelve-year odyssey, marked by unrelenting dedication on the part of the members of the original committee and by others, equally dedicated, who came later.

"FORD EVERY STREAM"

Short-term training programs for social workers in Texas had begun as early as 1915, when a "social service school" was established in Dallas at the Department of Public Welfare by Elmer L. Scott. In 1917, under the new sponsorship of the Civic Federation of Dallas, the school offered training courses and public forums featuring well- known leaders in the field. In 1918, the School was instrumental in providing training in "Home Service" in conjunction with the American Red Cross.

Dr. Gaynell Hawkins took over leadership of the School in 1926 and renamed it the "Social Service Institute" One to six- week "Institutes" were offered to social workers who came from all over the Southwest. In 1933, a year after the Social Service Institute became part of the Texas Conference of Social Welfare, the first "Educational Camp Meeting for Social Workers" was held. These Institutes (fondly known as "Vacation Play Schools for Grownups") became quite popular and were held at Camp Waldemar on the Guadalupe River for several years. Again, leading figures in the field were brought in from all over the country. These "Summer Institutes" were successful attempts to combine recreation with learning. Canoeing, swimming, tennis, hiking, and fishing were available to participants along with stimulating conversation and renowned guest lecturers. In a paper on the summer Institutes, Elmer Scott recalled the "particularly eventful" Institute of 1934:

On the Saturday before, there was a terrific cloudburst all over that section of Texas. To reach Camp Waldemar, the Guadalupe River had to be forded several times, there being no bridges. Jack Robertson and I were driving down in . . . an old Model T Ford. We found the Guadalupe rising fast. We managed one or two of the fords, but didn't dare to try the next one.

The two men decided to wade across the river Elmer Scott's companion slipped and was carried downstream, but managed to arrive safely back at the riverbank. Elmer continues:

We got a telephone message through to Camp Waldemar, telling of our predicament, and sought the hospitality of a nearby house. About ten o'clock that night we were roused with the message that some of Colonel Johnson's cowboys were outside waiting to carry us to Waldemar on horseback. Each of us mounted behind a husky cowboy and that's how we got to Waldemar.

The Southwest Social Science Institute continued for several more years to provide important and much- needed training to social workers.

A similar school was established in Houston in 1916. Known as the Texas School of Civics and Philanthropy and loosely affiliated with Rice Institute through faculty interest, the school folded when some of its leaders did not return to Houston after service in World War 1. Neither of these schools could begin to, nor were they intended to, take the place of two- year graduate training. As time went on, the need for this training became more and more apparent. Clearly, means for receiving training had to be found other than risking life and limb to cross raging, unbridged rivers--although some students might say that the current graduate school experience is not too far removed from this early "sink or swim" method.

A "PROBLEM-SOLVING" APPROACH

The Committee on Professional Training in Social Work wasted no time in getting underway. The first step was to gather facts from the American Association of Schools of Social Work (AASW) about what was needed to set up an "accreditable" school. Among the things needed was an annual budget of "at least $10,000"--which the committee felt would be a bit inadequate. The Committee then began taking its message to influential people throughout the state. Hundreds of letters were sent out, accompanied by a statement explaining why a school of social work was needed in Texas. The fact that there was no school in Texas meant that prospective social workers had to leave the state for their training; many never returned. Because of the shortage, qualified personnel had to be "imported" from other states; however, a residency rule did not allow anyone to work for a state agency unless he or she had been a resident of Texas for at least four years! In addition, the Committee argued that large sums of money were being expended in the area of social welfare; and, with so much money being spent, these programs should be in the hands of professionally trained people. There was a great shortage of, and a great demand for, social workers in Texas. It was further pointed out, "There are 18 states which have one to four fully accredited two year graduate schools" . . . and "all of the populous states except New Jersey and Texas have such schools:' Moreover, the committee stated, "the meeting of human problems is lagging in Texas because of the lack of properly equipped personnel:'

The response to these letters was overwhelming. In their responses, social service agencies and professionals throughout the state recounted their difficulty in obtaining qualified personnel and pledged to support the establishment of a graduate school. Armed with this new information, the Committee approached The University of Texas Acting President John William Calhoun to ask for his support. However, Dr. Calhoun refused to include money for a school of social work in his budget, preferring that action on such a school be postponed until a permanent president was named. When Dr. Homer Rainey was appointed president of the University in 1939, he favored the establishment of a graduate school of social work.

TROUBLED TIMES

Dr. Rainey included in the budget presented to the 1941 Legislature funds for establishment of a School of Social Work. This part of the appropriation failed to pass. Some legislators, "particularly those in rural districts," viewed social welfare of any kind as smacking of communism and socialism. So great was this fear at the time that the recently- established Texas Department of Public Welfare was under investigation by the Legislature. These fears persisted on the part of many right up through the time the School was actually established. During the 1943 legislative campaign to establish a school, Dr. Warner E. Gettys cautioned Ben Taub of Houston, who headed a statewide committee to lobby for the school, against using the words "social work" and "social worker" when approaching the legislators:

Now, while it is true that the program would be for training social workers. there is real danger of letting that fact become too obvious for the reason that the terms are like red rags to bulls up here around the capitol. Due to the "need for economy in that time of war" the 1943 appropriation for the school did not pass.

In 1945, Dr. Rainey and the University Board of Regents were in conflict over a number of issues. The Board of Regents would not support, among other things, his budget for the School of Social Work. So, the Texas Social Welfare Association (formerly the Texas Conference of Social Welfare) decided to introduce its own bill in the Legislature. It passed in the House, but never came out of Committee in the Senate.

THE HARD WORK CONTINUES

It would be difficult to over- emphasize the amount of dedication, skill, and time put forth by interested and concerned people throughout Texas on behalf of establishing the School. There were scores of meetings with members of the Board of Regents, a succession of university presidents, legislators, and influential citizens. Hundreds and hundreds of letters were sent. After the 1943 campaign, one legislator remarked, "Never have we been so besieged by a barrage of mail on behalf of a measure." Legislators were truly impressed. Letters to the committee from all over the state contained pledges of support such as this one from Elizabeth Brock of the Texas Commission on Interracial Cooperation: "Do not hesitate to call on me for I am ready to lay down any work in order to meet any call for this.'' Walter Whitson and Ben Taub of Houston, Drs. Warner Gettys, Harry Moore and Carol Rosenquist of the UT- Department of Sociology, Dr. Daniel Russell of Texas A & M College, and many others worked tirelessly. After every defeat, they began again with renewed enthusiasm. The drive to establish a School gained the attention of Mrs. Mike Hogg, President of the Board of Family Services in Houston, and Miss Ima Hogg, a major influence in developing the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Their friendship with several members of the University Board of Regents was integral to gaining their support. Mrs. H. E. Butt of Corpus Christi was also a strong supporter of the legislation.

In the 1947 legislative session, it appeared that the School of Social Work was about to become a reality. The appropriation, House Bill 235, included a measure to establish a social work school at the El Paso School of Mines and at The University of Texas. This is an interesting note in view of the fact that a cooperative program offering the MSSW degree has recently been established by our School with the former School of Mines, now the University of Texas at El Paso. In the final moments of the legislative session, however, the measure was defeated, even though it had the full support of the Board of Regents and the University President.

ENTER MRS. CLARA POPE WILLOUGHBY

Clara WilloughbyEarly in 1948, Clara Pope Willoughby became concerned about the lack of professional services available to children in San Angelo. Mrs. Willoughby's family has been influential throughout Texas history. Her ancestral home was established in Marshall, Texas by her great- grandfather James Harper Starr, a most distinguished man who was a physician, Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas, Post Master General, and Land Commissioner for President Lamar In his responsibility as Land Commissioner, he invited people to come live in the State of Texas and oversaw the surveying of lands. He was, in retrospect, the first promoter of tourism in Texas and has in fact been so recognized by the present Tourist Commission. James Harper Starr participated in activities required to move the Capitol of Texas from Houston to Austin. A state office building in Austin is named in his honor The Barker Historical Collection at The University of Texas at Austin contains his papers and the instruments he used in the practice of medicine in East Texas. Among James Harper Starr's possessions were papers of General Sam Houston left to him by the brother of William B. Travis with whom he shared an office. The family home, Maplecroft, in Marshall is a historical landmark of the State of Texas and in the National Registry of Historical Landmarks. It has been given by Mrs. Willoughby and her family to the State of Texas for future use by the citizens of Texas as an excellent example of East Texas architecture and as a place in which plants and flowers can be grown and enjoyed.

Mrs. Willoughby is a graduate of the University of Texas and it is here that she met Ray Willoughby from San Angelo, who was to become her husband and later a prominent West Texas cattleman and rancher Ray Willoughby ably assisted and encouraged his wife in her volunteer humanitarian activities. His many endeavors included the presidency of both the Texas Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, the first person ever to hold both positions. It was customary for West Texas men who had fulfilled leadership responsibilities in civic and professional organizations to be rewarded at the end of their term with a pair of boots or a western hat. When MG and Mrs. Willoughby moved from the large family home to a smaller condominium, it was necessary to dispose of more than fifty pairs of boots and a greater number of hats. All were given to a boy's ranch. Together for more than fifty- six years of marriage, the Willoughbys served in innumerable capacities and in a great variety of organizations. Mrs. Willoughby has been well acquainted with every Texas governor who has held office in the past several decades.

After moving to the Willoughby ranch in San Angelo, Mrs. Willoughby became active in the Girl Scouts in the area. Her interest spread also to adoption and foster care, and upon visiting the State Unit of Public Welfare in San Angelo, she was appalled to learn of the lack of qualified workers to carry out adoption and foster care programs. It was then that she learned of the barriers to qualification imposed by the lack of a two- year graduate school of social work in Texas and by the four- year residency requirement. Mrs. Willoughby later wrote that "without qualified workers to act on behalf of the children, judges and lawyers had been placing children just like cats and kittens." A judge had once remarked to her that "he could tell when a couple walked through the door whether they would be good parents or not."

"NO STONE WAS LEFT UNTURNED"

Her interest in Child Welfare led Mrs. Willoughby to become a member of the Board of the Child Welfare League of America. While on a visit to New York City to attend a meeting of that organization, she contacted the American Association of Schools of Social Work and learned of its standards and requirements. She brought this information to University President Theophilus Painter, who was a personal friend, only to learn that efforts to establish a School of Social Work had been underway for several years. She eagerly joined in this effort.

Mrs. Willoughby learned that most of the opposition to the establishment of the school was coming from rural East Texas. This was her home area! In addition, her husband, Ray Willoughby, who also gave generously of his time and talents toward establishing the school, traveled widely as a member and officeholder in both the Texas Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association. Attending meetings of these two statewide organizations and becoming acquainted with their members "was of immeasurable help in passing the legislation that helped to establish the school." Mrs. Willoughby's unique ability to span the gap between East and West Texas was the key to her success in gathering support from influential people in both areas of the state. She and her husband sent out hundreds of letters to legislators, business people, and other professionals. In the letters she noted that the Public Welfare Department's budget was the largest in the state, followed by the Highway Department. She wrote, "Surely we would not have a highway department which allotted funds for roads and yet not have any engineers, no schools for training them, and a four- year residence law." Few could refute the logic of her arguments. Letters of support poured in. There were some, however, who still felt that any attempt to improve the quality of social welfare services was an aid to the spread of communism. Mrs. Willoughby has noted that one of the most difficult aspects of her efforts was to convince the Legislature that "we weren't offering anything un-American contaminated by 'isms' of any kind:' D. K. Woodward, President of the University Board of Regents and a personal friend, wrote to Mrs. Willoughby that "for some reason or another the legislature seems to feel that this proposed measure is part of a plan to turn the administration of state welfare work over to a radical group interested in furthering all sorts of subversive propaganda:' One person wrote to say that he felt that schools of social service were "hotbeds" in which many of the professors "believe that almost any form of government in the world is better than the one we have here." He then went on to advise Mrs. Willoughby about further steps she could take toward the establishment of a school!

Some of this opposition was handled using the argument that as long as these welfare programs were going to continue to exist, better to have Texans doing the job in Texas than people from other states . . . or worse yet, people trained in other states. One woman, writing in support of the school, told her senator that the fact that prospective students had to leave Texas for their training had the following results: "Not only does that take Texas money out of Texas, Texas people out of Texas, and show a lack in the educational facilities in Texas--it does something much worse than that. It means that the social workers in Texas will be trained in the North and the East, according to their ideas--which conceivably are not ours:' This argument was often persuasive to those who feared the communist "threat from within."

Mrs. Willoughby and other supporters traveled the length and breadth of Texas. "In every town visited on business or pleasure, someone was seen--all Finance Committee and Education Committee members were seen. No stone was left unturned:' Dr. Robert Sutherland, then recently- appointed director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Hygiene and a Professor of Sociology at the University, had written to Walter Whitson that he saw "only one possibility of getting started through the president's office, and that was through Mrs. Willoughby:' _ Indeed, Mrs. Willoughby's influence on President Theophilus Painter solidified his position as a strong advocate for the school. His presentation to the legislature was an important element in the passage of the bill.

In a 1949 speech to supporters of the School who gathered to honor her and celebrate their success, Mrs. Willoughby described the crucial event in the long struggle:

Two men consummated the deal. One a key senator, the other the President of the Board of Regents of the University. My part was bringing together two of my personal friends who had divergent ideas. One contended that it was the duty of the Regents to ask for an appropriation, the other that the Legislature should show willingness to reopen the issue. The common meeting ground loyalty and pride in their native state of Texas and its University, and the realization that many Texans were having to pay higher transportation, living and tuition costs to get this much- needed training out of the state. The President of the Board began to carry the ball, the Senator started lining up his forces. Soon, the amendment to the budget (appropriations bill) was formulated. It was attached to the budget and there was no further controversy thereafter.

House Bill 319, ordering the establishment of a Graduate School of Social Work, cleared the Senate on July S, 1949. The funds of $75,000 for the biennium were certified by the Comptroller of Public Accounts on July S, 1949. The bill was signed by Governor Beauford Jester Shortly thereafter Walter Whitson wrote to Mrs. Willoughby, "I want to congratulate you for this fine accomplishment I know how much you put into it and how much your efforts have counted. I know you will say that many people have helped, but it was your ability to help at the right time in the right way and in the right places. In closing, I want to repeat that not only social work and social workers, but the entire state of Texas are deeply indebted to you for your services."

GETTING STARTED

Now that legislative enactment was accomplished, President Painter and the Board of Regents proceeded with the task of organizing the School. Dr. Walter Pettit, emeritus Dean of the New York School of Social Work, and Dr. Leonard Mayo, emeritus Dean of the Graduate School of Applied Social Sciences of Western Reserve University, were brought in as consultants to help in setting up the School. They arrived on campus in January, 1950. In addition, a Citizen's Advisory Committee was formed to help University officials in the establishment of the School. Both Clara Pope Willoughby and Walter Whitson served on this committee. In a letter to MG Whitson, President Painter wrote, "I would like to say that any school which bears the name of the University of Texas should be really first class, and we will make every effort to make it so."

The first task was the selection of a Director (or Dean). Dr. Painter felt strongly that "it is highly desirable that we should get as director someone who knows and has a sympathetic understanding of Texans and their way of thinking." Advertisements were placed in the Bulletin of the American Association of Schools of Social Work. The New Yorker picked up on these ads, and in the issue of May 27, 1950, the following appeared:

The University of Texas is moving ahead with plans for establishing a School of Social Work. Walter Pettit, who has been assisting University authorities in the search for a director, is said to be seeking a Texan or a person with a national reputation the equivalent thereto. Commented the New Yorker, "He's living in a dream."

A total of eight applicants were considered for the position, and on March 25, 1950, the Board of Regents announced the appointment of Lora Lee Pederson as Director of the School. While it had always been tacitly assumed that the director would be a man, "Miss Pederson", as she was called, had the double advantage of being both eminently qualified--she was the Dean and a founder of the Nashville School of Social Work--and a native Texan. She held an M.A. degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

The Regents could not have made a better choice. Lora Lee Pederson assumed the Directorship of the new Graduate School of Social Work on July 1, 1950, at a salary of $6,800 per annum. It was a position she was to hold for fourteen years. Under her leadership, the School evolved from printed words into a living, growing reality.

The School of Social Work opened in the Fall of 1950 with a total annual budget of $37,500. The Daily Texan editorialized: "The University, in its rightful role as a pioneer in Texas education, will penetrate a long- neglected field when the School of Social Work opens its doors:' However, an editorial in the Palestine Herald Press warned that "such a school needs close supervision to prevent its becoming a training center for socialism."

CURRICULUM AND FACULTY

Picture of FacultyThe first courses offered in the new two- year graduate school were: Community Organization; Growth and Change; Casework; Public Welfare; Child Welfare; and Medical Information for Social Workers. A semester of course instruction alternated with a block field placement for each of four semesters. Original full- time faculty members included Lora Lee Pederson, Lorraine Warnken, who held an MSSA from Western Reserve, and Anne Wilkens, M.S., New York School of Social Work, who was also field work supervisor Part- time faculty were Maurine Currin, Herbert Wilson, Dr. Caroline Crowell, and Crystal Boone. There were also a number of visiting lecturers from other University departments and from the community. Twenty four full- time and eighteen part- time students were enrolled in the first class. All underwent careful screening procedures.

Lorraine Warnken later wrote of her decision to join the faculty: "I was out of the state while the long, often discouraging spadework was being done (to establish a school of social work at the University). In the Spring of 1950, I think, Miss Pederson wrote me about the prospective school. At this time I was with Child and Family Service of Hawaii and was contemplating a summer vacation trip to Texas. The result of this correspondence was that I resigned instead of taking leave, packed my 'irreducible' possessions into thirteen boxes and a foot locker and flew to Texas the first part of August. A few days later in Austin, I found Miss Pederson ensconced in one room in the Tower. With her were two fresh and willing young secretaries, Marty and Nina. I became the second member of the faculty present, although Miss Wilkens was on her way, via vacation in Canada.' In the Spring Semester of 1951, Charles Laughton, Jr. (M.A., Chicago, 1947) became a full- time member of the faculty. That summer the following courses were added to the curriculum: Seminar in Social Casework; Methods of Research; Group Research Project; Psychopathology; Social Group Work; and Advanced Social Casework. A thesis was required of all graduate Master of Science in Social Work students.

BOBBY SOX AND "OLD B"

Picture of buildingThe Graduate School of Social Work was first located in Old B Hall, a rather dilapidated Victorian structure which was later condemned and razed. Gwyneth McCormick, a member of the class of 1953, recalled in an address at the School's Tenth Anniversary celebration how students and faculty "stubbed our toes on the uneven boards of Old B Hall, and shouted to be heard and strained to hear over the sound of the wind against its ancient windowpanes."

The small size of the faculty and student body allowed for a unique kind of mutual interaction which, Ms. McCormick believed. has not since been duplicated:

I could not think of that first year of the School's opening without recalling a closeness between students and faculty that could never exist again . . . The sense of adventure in the School and a kind of receptive audacity in its students surrounded both groups with a nest- like enclosure . . . We were privileged to share in a very direct way the everyday happenings with Miss Pederson and her first faculty.

Students and faculty lunched together frequently.

The School was established at a time when psychiatric casework was at its peak of popularity as a method. Although more emphasis on Community Organization and other practice models did eventually emerge, Ms. McCormick wrote:

No other class was as infamous for its Freudian fixation as ours. Dr. Freud was all we knew, and we embraced his theories without discrimination. We were analyzed in class, at coffee breaks. and at parties and picnics. No comment was innocent enough to escape being torn apart to discover its hidden meanings: we were all suspect and subject to the probing and dissection of our fellows. Oh, we were hardy souls all right . . .

Despite this "probing and dissection:' an almost familial warmth enveloped the members of the first--and many subsequent--classes. Much of that warmth was the result of the personal attention and concern shown to each student by Lora Lee Pederson and members of the first faculty.

LORA LEE PEDERSON

Lora Lee Pederson is remembered by those who knew her as a truly extraordinary person. Don Blashill, a graduate of the class of 1961, who joined the faculty of the School of Social Work in 1966, remembers her as a "wonderful woman who really cared about each student" Dr. Jack Otis, who succeeded Miss Pederson as Dean of the School, recalls that she was "an extraordinarily sweet, lovable, gracious kind of person:'

Lora Lee Pederson received an M.A. from Scarritt College in Nashville in 1928, and later received an M.A. from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration in 1939. She began her career as a foster home placement worker at the Spofford Home in Kansas City, Missouri. She later became the Supervisor of the Foster Home Division of the Missouri State Department of Child Welfare. She remained in that position until her return to Tennessee, where she helped found the Nashville School of Social Work and became its first Dean. In a letter announcing her selection as Director of the University of Texas Graduate School of Social Work, President Painter wrote, "Miss Pederson is not only very able, but is extremely well liked by the people of Nashville."

Picture of facultyLora Lee Pederson was also well known for her vitality and excellent sense of humor. Thelma Stevens, a classmate at Scarritt College, recalls: "Lora Lee was a real live wire, full of fun, able, and with a deep commitment. She was a great person in every way. She was open and easy to work with She was a leader on the Scarritt campus--one of the most loved and admired. She was a great friend and a great person, who was in many ways a pioneer in her field:'

Another classmate, Marylou Barnwell, who went on to work with Miss Pederson at Spofford Home, remembers that she was "one of the most vivacious persons on campus, full of life. She could always see the bright side of things . . . It was a joy to be with her. She was a bubbly personality with lots of life, spirit, and hope--a beautiful person with lots of humor:' Ms. Barnwell recalls that Lora Lee Pederson did an excellent imitation of Eleanor Roosevelt which she would occasionally unleash at parties, and which "always brought down the house:' Don Blashill recalls that later students were sometimes treated to this "unbelievably realistic" impersonation at the annual Christmas parties.

This sense of humor, along with the seriousness of her commitment to social welfare and to The University of Texas, her administrative skill, and her ability to draw people together, made Lora Lee Pederson a Director and faculty member who was both respected and cherished by those who had the good fortune to know her.

ACCREDITATION!

A testimony to the abilities of Miss Pederson and the faculty is the fact that the Graduate School of Social Work was fully accredited by the American Association of Schools of Social Work as soon after its opening as was possible, in June, 1952. The Accreditation Review Committee in its report expressed "gratification at the excellent progress made by the School in its brief period of existence toward the establishment of high standards of Social Work Education." The report further stated that the committee was "very much impressed with every one of the five full- time faculty members (Mary Burns, MSW, Michigan had joined the faculty) . . . they are a strong, hard- working, very promising group . . . and field faculty represent the best personnel available on the Texas scene:' Many dedicated people in various agencies throughout the state served, without pay, as members of the field faculty. They, too, have played, and continue to play, a large part in the success of the School and its students. Since this first accreditation milestone, accreditation has been granted continuously to the School at each review period.

AN "OASIS"

The School of Social Work opened at a time when the painful struggle for racial integration at The University of Texas was at its height. While social work as a profession had been very active in efforts to bring about integration, the School of Social Work demonstrated this commitment in a very personal way to August Swain, the first Black graduate of the School of Social Work. A graduate of the class of 1953, Gus Swain is the former Associate Director of the Social Work Education Branch of the National Institute for Mental Health, and a former faculty member and Project Coordinator for Minorities in Graduate Social Work of the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work. He is currently associated with Child and Family of Austin. Gus is the 1976 co- recipient, along with Edward Protz (MSSW '63), of the School's Distinguished Alumni Award. He spoke at the Fall 1982 meeting of the School of Social Work's Social Work Foundation Advisory Council, of which he is a member. In that speech, Gus movingly described his experiences as a Black student during that turbulent time. He described coming onto campus with the threat of violence, at a time when buildings off the "Drag" were "plastered with sayings like 'Nigger Go Home: Once I got to B Hall, and was encapsulated in B Hall, I felt complete safety. The School of Social Work was an oasis in a sea of racism and separatism:' Gus Swain expressed gratitude to the faculty, not only for helping to provide that "oasis:' but for their help and inspiration in the development of his career After being interviewed as a prospective student by Lora Lee Pederson, he said he decided, "If I'm going to be with this kind of person, UT is where I want to be:' (MG Swain was later to serve as a pallbearer at the funeral of Lora Lee Pederson.) He described Charles Laughton as his mentor in the area of Community Organization. "One of Mr. Laughton's favorite sayings was 'play it straight and infiltrate.'" MG Swain described Lorraine Warnken Jensen as "responsible for my decision to go into family service. She was not only a teacher; she was a confidant, someone you could talk with:' The courage of people like Gus Swain and those who followed him serve as a reminder of the turbulence of that time, and of the progress that has yet to be made.

PROFESSIONAL TIES

In the early years of the School, a Professional Advisory Committee was established to give advice and consultation to the School's administration "by keeping the School of Social Work informed of the needs for professional training in all geographic areas of the state . . ., by considering current and long- range developments in the School for meeting these needs . . ., and by interpreting graduate professional training and the work of the School to community groups:' The roster of early committee members reads like a who's who of professional social work in Texas at that time: Olin LeBaron of the San Antonio Community Council served as Chairman. Members were:

The members represented all aspects of professional social work recognized at that time ranging through casework, group work, medical, psychiatric, family service, policy, research, public welfare, community organization, and education. The Professional Advisory Committee was discontinued after several years of useful service.

GROWTH AND CHANGE

The School of Social Work continued to grow and thrive under the leadership of Lora Lee Pederson. Lorraine Warnken left the faculty in 1956 and was replaced by Josleen Lockhart, a University of Texas graduate who received an M.S.S.A. from Western Reserve University School of Applied Social Sciences in 1947. A complete list of past and present faculty may be found at the back of this booklet. Professor Lockhart, a much- beloved teacher, was later to leave a generous bequest to the School which resulted in the creation of the Josleen Lockhart Memorial Book Fund in the Lockhart Learning Resource Center now housed on the third floor of the Social Work Building.

In 1952, Professor Anne Wilkens, the Director of Field Instruction and very highly regarded teacher, was chosen to go to India as a State Department Point Four Consultant in Social Welfare to the Indian Government. She stayed for four months assisting Indian voluntary and government agencies in welfare training. Among the Social Work files is a photograph of Professor Wilkens with Nehru, and a postcard from her which says in part, "I feel exactly like a student reporting for field work--but where is my supervisor?" Later, in 1960, she traveled to El Salvador under the auspices of the International Cooperation Administration of the U.S. Department of State to help the El Salvadoran National School of Social Work review and revise its curriculum. In addition to these travels, Professor Wilkens was well known throughout the state for her work in placing students, and "had more requests for student placements from agencies than she could fill:' When asked by a reporter from the Texas Social Worker (a lively but short- lived School newspaper) if she had had any interesting experiences on her trips to visit students in the field, replied, "Yes, indeed, but they are all.

In 1957, Dr. Charles Laughton published the School of Social Work's first research monograph, "Stamng Social Services in Texas: The Problem and the Challenge:' The monograph was published in cooperation with the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to which Dr. Laughton was a consultant. The Hogg Foundation was later to provide a challenge grant which led to the establishment of the Charles W. Laughton Memorial Endowed Presidential Scholarship following his untimely Jeath in 1975.

MOVING

Picture of buildingOld B Hall, the original home of the School of Social Work, was torn down in July of 1952. A faculty member recorded her impressions of the School's early search for a home. "The move to 'Old B' I remember as difficult because our equipment was then pretty scanty. About all that could be said of the of offices was that they were private, more or less roomy, and equipped with telephones and washbasins. The latter were inherited from the days when the health service had been housed in the building. We were very grateful for them because they had hot water and enabled us to keep that important object, the coffee pot, reasonably clean. Old B had some other unique features, notably bats in the belfry. Late one afternoon Miss Wilkens' office was invaded by one of the creatures. Being a very resourceful person, she trapped it in between the screen and the window pane, leaving a note for the janitor to request its removal. The next morning the bat was gone, replaced by a note: 'Miss Wilkens: I removed the bat from your window. (signed) Janitor:"

Picture of buildingThe School was next moved to the fourth floor of the Old Drama Building. Lora Lee Pederson was fond of saying that "on the first three floors we have Drama, and on the fourth, melodrama:' When this building burned down in 1959 (no one was injured), the School of Social Work moved to the 22nd floor of the Tower That same year Lora Lee Pederson was injured in an elevator accident there. A severe blow to the head kept her at home for some days, and had a lasting effect on her famous stamina. While she continued to work as hard as ever, she began to tire easily, but, according to friends, "never complained:' After Miss Pederson's accident, the School of Social Work moved to CP Hall, one of the few remaining World War 11 Army Barracks that had been converted for classroom use. Despite the building's age and disadvantages, CP Hall was a homey and welcome change after the calamities that had befallen previous buildings. Small though it was, the building was shared also by the School of Nursing.Picture of building

As the School moved from one building to another, there was always the necessity of becoming acquainted with the new environment. When the School was in the old Drama Building, drama majors were generally regarded with some suspicion by students in other departments, including some of the social work students who moved into the building. At least one social work student at that time was awakened to new conceptions of human behavior and social environment when she learned that, to her consternation, the drama students viewed social work students as somewhat odd.

Professor Don Blashill recalls that the offices in CP Hall "were about the size of a desk, and had a seemingly irresistible attraction for yellow jackets:' Rather than carry heavy loads of handouts from office to classroom, many professors got into the habit of "pushing the papers through the cracks" in the walls. Miss Pederson had sharp words for the maintenance department soon after moving into CP Hall, as noted in the following excerpt from a letter she sent:

We request that the blood plasma machine be moved out of the north hallway, since it blocks the hallway for students and visitors, and the stench from the dried blood within the machine creates an offensive odor which penetrates this section of the building. It is urgent that this be done at once, as the days are getting warmer and this becomes increasingly offensive.

CP Hall was not among the best of University facilities, as indicated by an incident that occurred in the mid- 1960s. A new Science Building was under construction next to the venerable CP Hall, and, in the course of construction, a truck backed into the corner of the building causing a brief interruption of a social work class in a corner room as students surveyed the situation through a class window. A few minutes later the incident was repeated, this time with greater intensity and resulting concern. The professor excused herself for a moment and went outside to ask the driver to be more careful so that he would not disrupt the class. The driver responded in amazement, "Lady, you don't mean to tell me that building is occupied!"

The School of Social Work celebrated its Tenth Anniversary in 1960, a year which brought a new record in registrations and double the number of graduates of any previous year. The American-Statesman reported that the School's graduates "have been eagerly sought after for professional work:' That year, too, the alumni of the School of Social Work presented Lora Lee Pederson with a check for $1,000 for the establishment of the Lora Lee Pederson Scholarship Fund.

The tenth anniversary of the School was celebrated in November 1960 in a three- day program at the Stephen E Austin Hotel, beginning on Halloween evening with a coffee in the Capitol Club in honor of Lora Lee Pederson. University of Texas President H. H. Ransom welcomed participants to the events the following morning and Jessie Clements, President of the School's Alumni Association and then Director of the City/County Welfare Department in Dallas, introduced special guests. Mrs. Ray (Clara Pope) Willoughby of San Angelo spoke on the topic "Has the Graduate School of Social Work Paid Off for the State of Texas?" Gwyneth McCormick, then of the Settlement Home in Austin, spoke on "The Early Years:' Other featured speakers were Arthur Berliner, then of the U.S. Public Health Hospital in Fort Worth, who addressed the group on "Expectations of the Profession for the School of Social Work" and Glenn Rollins, then Director of the Mental Health Association of Dallas, who spoke on "Education for What?" An alumni dinner and business meeting was held in the Stephen F Austin Sun Room after which Dr. Ralph W. Tyler, Director of the Center for Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California, gave the keynote address on "The Place of the Professional School in the University" in Townes Hall of the Law School. The next day's events included a presentation by Dave Christensen, Executive Director, Child and Family Service of Chicago, on "The Decade Ahead" followed by a panel discussion led by Anne Wilkens of the faculty. A buffet luncheon was the final event in the tenth anniversary observance, the papers from which were printed in an attractive brochure and distributed by the School. In the early years of the School, graduates were a small, close- knit group who were very much interested in the progress of the School.

THE DIRECTOR RESIGNS

In September, 1963, Lora Lee Pederson, her health failing, resigned her position as Director of the School, a position she had held for thirteen years. The words she had written twelve years earlier in the first issue of the Record, a School newsletter, aptly express the heritage she left us: "In years to come, students and faculty will look back on this period and re- read this first issue of the newspaper from the stand- point of historical interest. One of the exciting things about pioneering in a new field is the recurring awareness that we are making history. A by-product is the knowledge that our goals must be far- reaching and our standards high." Lora Lee Pederson did indeed set high standards in the School she helped to found; her enthusiasm and love for the School and its students continue in spirit to make the School of Social Work a place where, in spite of its increasing size, each student is respected for the unique person he or she is.

In the official announcement of Lora Lee Pederson's death on August 16, 1963, was written: "In a period when universities have become an impersonal mechanism, Miss Pederson was known and loved by students as someone who genuinely cared for them. To her this was of even greater significance than her professional achievements. It is because of these special qualities that the students and faculty of the Graduate School of Social Work feel her loss so keenly:' Jule Moon, then editor of the Texas Exes Newsletter of the School of Social Work, wrote, "We who loved Lora Lee Pederson believe that she did important things for Social Work. We believe that she was able to do all these things because of the person she was:' As a tribute, the Alumni Association donated the money to purchase the Lora Lee Pederson Collection: the walnut desk, maple clock, maple drop- leaf table, and Code of Ethics used by Lora Lee Pederson in her office. The Collection is now on display in Room 3.112 of the Social Work Building. In addition, the School has permanently endowed the Lora Lee Pederson Scholarship Fund and established the Lora Lee Pederson Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching which is given annually to that professor voted by students to best exemplify high standards of teaching performance and concern for students.

A NEW BEGINNING

Professor Anne Wilkens became the Acting Director of the School until a permanent Director could be found. It was a search that lasted for two years, and which ended with the appointment of Dr. Jack Otis on November 1, 1965. Dr. Otis, a New Yorker by birth, received an MSW, an M.A. in Education, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Illinois, where he was an Associate Professor of Mental Health. He came to the School of Social Work from Washington, D.C. where he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Development, Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Dr. Otis, whose "first act" upon arriving in Texas was "to buy a yellow car and dub her 'The Yellow Rose of Texas,"' brought new dynamic energy to the School to lead it in another phase of development and change--which increased enrollment and recognition for the School.

Among Dean Otis's first priorities was to revise the curriculum to place more emphasis on Community Organization and Administration and Planning. While courses in Community Organization had been required at the School, there was an increasing need to make this area a more integral part of the curriculum. The Kennedy and Johnson Administrations' War on Poverty emphasized community and grass roots efforts to improve social conditions in such areas as civil rights, urban blight, and help for the mentally, physically, and economically disadvantaged. There was a great need for workers trained in community organizing, as well as a growing need for social workers trained as administrators. At the same time, the field of social work itself was moving away from its strong emphasis on Freudian psychology and into areas of prevention, along with an increased awareness of community and organizational dynamics as important forces in shaping people's lives. In an interview for The University Ex- Students Association magazine Alcalde, Dean Otis noted, "People are not in trouble because of inherent problems within themselves, but rather because there is a failure in the way social institutions are organized or because of gaps in significant services in the community:' Recognizing the need for workers who were trained in Community Organization and Administration and Planning, Dean Otis and the School's hardworking faculty integrated more community organization and administration courses into the curriculum. The new emphasis was made official in 1969, when the Organizing and Planning (now Administration and Planning) "track" or concentration was officially added to the curriculum. Since that time, students have had a choice between specializing in Interpersonal Helping or Administration and Planning in the MSSW program.

Another high priority was to increase enrollment at the School. This was accomplished through several different approaches. First, admissions were opened to include the Spring semester as well as the Fall semester as times when students could first enter the School. In 1967, a professionalized undergraduate degree with a concentration in Social Work was instituted under the leadership of Dr. Charles Laughton and later Dc Guy Shuttlesworth. In 1975 the undergraduate concentration was expanded to become the fully- accredited Bachelor of Social Work Program. Planning for a Ph.D. program got underway in 1968, and, after University and Coordinating Board approval, the first Ph.D. students were enrolled in 1974. The results of these efforts were outstanding. In 1968, the 134 students enrolled in the School of Social Work represented an increase of 52% over the previous year--the highest single- year percentage increase in enrollment ever at any social work school. Dean Otis credited the success of these endeavors to "a faculty who worked very hard."

In 1968 the School received its first federal grant in support of social work training, this one in psychiatric social work. Soon following were training grants for vocational rehabilitation, school social work, child welfare, maternal and child health, continuing education, and field instruction. During the late 1960s and throughout most of the 1970s the School received training grants and awards from Federal and State sources more than doubling the "hard money" support provided by the University. These competitively- awarded training grants were for several years sufficient to provide training stipends to all graduate students who requested them and were willing to sign contracts for future service. The training grants also provided for as many as thirteen full- time field instructors employed by the School as educational specialists in field supervision, particularly in innovative field units for first- year graduate students and for senior undergraduate students.

By 1969, the faculty had been substantially enlarged. Among the new faculty added in 1966 were Don Blashill, who received an MSSW degree from UT in 1961, and Dr. Martha Williams, now Dean of the School of Social Work. Five new faculty, including Dr. Dolph Hess, were employed in 1967; and eight new faculty were hired in 1969, among them Dr. Guy Shuttlesworth. Other current members joined the faculty in the 1970s and 80s.

THE SIXTIES

Student unrest, protest over the war in Vietnam, and the struggle for civil rights all found their way to The University of Texas campus, and students at the School of Social Work were on the front lines. Social Work students took part in marches for civil rights. They actively protested segregation in theaters, restaurants, dormitories, and cafeterias. The School of Social Work led the University in minority recruitment, as it always had, An active minority recruitment committee continues to operate at the School.

Discussing the students of "the sixties", Professor Don Blashill recalls that there was a great deal of student activism. In addition, he said, "students viewed education as suspect. They were antiintellectual and anti- professional:' As a result, there was "lively" student participation on the governance of the School of Social Work, and students "asked frequently to meet with faculty" on various subjects. Dean Martha Williams recalls that students "were always trying to go outside and sit under trees during class:' A student activist at the School once "brought welfare mothers to a faculty meeting, passed a hat, and told the faculty to 'put their money where their mouths were:" Another, a recent graduate, "dressed up in an ape suit and ran through the halls." According to Professor Blashill and Dr. Otis, students were not as concerned about "getting a job" as they are now. The War on Poverty and President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society increased the need for qualified workers and accentuated the existing shortage. Professors at the School characterize today's students as more concerned about getting a job upon graduation, and by contrast, more "willing to work within the system to produce change:'

A day that left an indelible memory for those who were nearby and for those who merely read or heard about it occurred on August 1, 1966, the day Charles Whitman commandeered the University Tower to rain a fuselage of high- powered rifle fire down on the University campus. CP Hall was not beyond the range of his weapons. Faculty and students who were in the building at the time were pinned down inside. When people realized what was happening, shouts rang out all around for people to take cover Of course, the wooden structure did not provide a reliable shield in itself. Even so, those hidden by its walls were not a visible target. Persons who were outside in the early moments of the onslaught were hit by the rifle fire. Until the time of its demolition, CP Hall bore scars from that fateful day.

ADVISORY COUNCIL ORGANIZED

A significant and most fortuitous event in the growth and development of the School occurred in October 1966 when the Social Work Foundation and its Advisory Council were established by the Board of Regents. An organizational meeting for the group had been held first in February, 1966. The Social Work Foundation was patterned with the guidance of the University Development Board on the success of foundations established for other colleges and schools of The University. The purpose of the foundation was "to promote social work education, research, and progress of social work as a profession at The University of Texas and in other educational and research institutions and in the field as it promotes development of the education and research program of the School of Social Work:' The purposes and objectives of the Advisory Council to the Foundation are: "(1) to consult with and advise the Dean, Associate Dean (Executive Director of the Foundation), and faculty of the School of Social Work on effective means of promoting the growth and development of social work education; (2) to encourage interest of both professional and citizen groups and individuals in the challenges of social work education; (3) to inform alumni and friends of the School about its present work, its services to the state and nation, and its future plans; (4) to assist the School of Social Work in its efforts to obtain grants and private gift support for School- related activities essential for the attaining of excellence in professional social work education; (S) to provide advice and counsel to the Foundation, staff and faculty of the School relative to the effective utilization of funds obtained from grants and gifts:' Initial members of the Social Work Foundation Advisory Council were:

The list of distinguished members who have served on the Advisory Council appears in the Appendix. Among the major contributions of the Council and its members since its first meeting are the following: provided vital assistance in bringing about the School's move from old CP Hall to the current Social Work Building; gave major support and help in obtaining the first corporate gift to the School and in developing a rewlving fund to assist students in financial need; regularly offers critical review, advice, and support of major proposals of program changes at the School, including the initiation of the organizing and planning concentration; initiated the School's first long- range plan to establish developmental priorities; assisted in establishing the doctoral program as a priority of the School and obtaining Coordinating Board support for its approval; provided contributions and assistance in the establishment of the Charles W. Laughton Memorial Presidential Scholarship; facilitated understanding and approval of the Bachelor of Social Work program by the Coordinating Board; regularly provides the School's administration and faculty the occasion at least twice annually to review School programs and process with the sympathetically interested but critically reflective counsel of community and state leaders; and, as detailed in the last section of this history, provides leadership and support for the development of permanently endowed teaching and research positions in the School.

ANOTHER MOVE

Picture of buildingIn 1969, Dean Otis was able to realize another of his initial goals: the School of Social Work moved out of the old Army barracks and into the more modern facility that it currently occupies at 2609 University Avenue. While there are no reports that blood plasma machines needed to be removed from the building, "a considerable amount of work" was necessary to convert this former women's residence into offices and classrooms for the School. The two classrooms and student lounge which now occupy the southern end of the ground floor were originally one big dining hall, and visitors may note that the grassy courtyard area is shaped suspiciously like a swimming pool. Suites of bedrooms have been transformed into suites of offices which even sport private lavatories and shower stalls, providing more restroom facilities per occupant than any other building on campus!

The move to the Social Work Building at 2609 University raised a major policy issue. Formerly the University Arms, the building was constructed as a U- shaped residence for university women, with the swimming pool in a courtyard formed by the three sides of the building. A brick screen separated the parking area at the front of the building from the courtyard and, for building occupants, blocked the sight of ever- present automobiles parked in front. The first policy consideration had to do with the swimming pool. What major contributions would the presence of a pool make to the mental and physical well being of students and faculty? Proposed answers were many, but considerations of safety prevailed--the pool had to be filled in with Texas caliche and soil, eliminating the threat of an unguarded and easily accessible safety hazard. The second policy under consideration was how to get the fill dirt over the brick screen and into the recently drained pool. With its usual pragmatic disregard for amenities, University Buildings and Grounds proposed to knock down the brick screen, back a dump truck to the edge of the pool and unload. Associate Dean Charles Laughton would have none of it! If reason prevailed in filling the pool, then surely principle would prevail in the means of doing so. Charley stood his ground, physically and unalterably blocking the path of those who would destroy the protective screen. His fierce determination was apparent, and in this instance the would- be havoc makers gave in. After some delay, they procured a long- arm power shovel to lift the fill dirt over the wall and into the pool. The brick screen still stands--a victory for the environment and a defeat for expediency.

FURTHER GROWTH

Picture of facultyDr. Otis's twelve- year tenure as Dean of the School of Social Work also saw the establishment of the Continuing Education Program and Center for Social Work Research (CSWR) within the School. The CSWR is concerned with research, curriculum development, and continuing education. The Center was established as an organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin in September, 1974; however, its continuing education program dates back to 1970. Other centers located within the School are the Regional Resource Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (established in 1975 under a grant to Dr. Michael Lauderdale) and a companion Adoption Resource Center (established in 1979).

The Continuing Education Program funded by grants from the Texas Department of Human Resources and other sources provided workshops, seminars, and advanced training programs to more than 2,000 individual participants annually throughout the 1970s in programs lasting from one day to two weeks.

The Resource Center on Child Abuse and Neglect provides technical training and assistance to five states in Region Vl as designated by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. These states are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Louisiana.

The School also provided leadership in the development of a consortium with The University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Houston, and Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio graduate schools of social work for the recruitment of minority students to careers in social work. The consortium, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, was successful in increasing significantly the number of Mexican- American, Black and Native- American students in the four graduate programs.

Ceremonies marking the School's Twentieth Anniversary were held in a series of events during the Spring of 1970, culminating in a presentation on "Social Priorities for the 70's" by Wilbur J. Cohen, then Dean of the School of Education, University of Michigan, and formerly Secretary, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The event was held in the Regency Room of the Villa Capri Restaurant. Other major presentations in the series included Dean Jack Otis on "The State of Social Work in the State of Texas" and University President Norman Hackerman, who commented among other observations on the growth of social work education in Texas and the contributions made by Dean Otis and his colleagues in helping to start graduate schools of social work elsewhere in Texas, in Dr. Hackerman's words as "in a real sense a 'spin- off' from the effort here in Austin:' Dr. Alfred J. Kahn, of the Columbia University School of Social Work, spoke on "Issues in Social Planning--Directions for the 70's:' Another major event in the spring observance was a presentation by Dr. Jorge Lara- Braud, Director of the Hispanic- American Institute in Austin and former dean of the faculty of the Presbyterian Seminary in Mexico City. Dr. Lara- Braud's topic was "Chicano Power and Powerlessness: Directions for the 70's:' The twentieth anniversary observance clearly demonstrated the School's new emphasis in community organization and planning, in more intensified study of social policy, and in the participation of racial and ethnic minorities in service planning and provision. The theme of the lecture series was "Social Policies for the 70's--Strategies for the Renewal of Human Resources."

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Charles W. Laughton Memorial Endowed Presidential Scholarship Award was established in October, 1975, with major assistance from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, the Social Work Foundation Advisory Council, and alumni of the School of Social Work. Dr. Laughton had been a professor at the School of Social Work from 1951 until his death in January, 1975. The award provides recognition of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate superior academic achievement and professional potential while at the School. The honor list of Laughton Scholars is included in the Appendix.

The Anne Wilkens Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1974, and permanently endowed in 1978. In 1974, Anne Wilkens retired from her position as Professor after twenty- three years of service which the American Statesman recognized as "helping to build the department into a nationally recognized leader:' She had been one of the original members of the Committee on Professional Training in Social Work, begun in 1937 The scholarship was endowed through gifts from the family of Miss Wilkens and School of Social Work alumni and friends. The award provides recognition of outstanding graduate social work students currently in school or recently admitted to the program.

ANOTHER MILESTONE

For its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary the School presented a series of public lectures on current issues in social work and social policy, all in the new Joe C. Thompson Conference Center on the campus. Each event was video- taped for further use and each of the distinguished speakers participated in several seminars with graduate students while visiting the University. The speakers, all leaders in their areas of specialization, and their topics were these: Dr. Edwin J. Thomas, Professor of Social Work and Psychology, The University of Michigan, "Current Developments in Behavioral Intervention"; Dr. Allen Pincus, Professor of Social Work, The University of Wisconsin- Madison, "Publish or Practice: Strains on Education for Practice in the University Environment"; Dr. George Maddox, Director Gerontology Center Duke University, "No Deposit- No Return: Growing Old in the Land of the Young"; Steven Minter Foundation Associate, Cleveland (Ohio) Foundation, "The Future of Federal Income Maintenance Programs: Prospects and Problems"; Dr. Arthur Katz, Dean, School of Social Welfare,University of Kansas, "Strategies for Community Mental Health Services--The Role of Social Work"; Helen Harris Perlman, Samuel Deutsch Professor, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, "Changing Perspectives on Man"; Dr. John D. Turner, Dean and Kenan Professor, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina, "Social Services and the Public Welfare"; and Dr. Sol Gordon, Professor, College for Human Development, Syracuse University, "Myths About Human Sexuality Contributed by Scientific Research". The lecture series was successful in attracting a number of alumni, university and professional colleagues, and interested persons from the community to the campus.

DEAN OTIS STEPS DOWN

Twelve years after his arrival as Dean of the School of Social Work, Dr Otis resigned effective August 31, 1977 to return to teaching and research full time. He took a leave of absence during the 1977-1978 academic year to travel to Austria as the recipient of a Fulbright- Hays Research Award to implement a comprehensive study of European social work education and returned to the faculty the following year Dr. Otis came to a school that was struggling for recognition and financial support. His efforts resulted in increased federal grants, the establishment of the BSW and Ph.D. programs, the Community Organization Concentration, record increases in enrollment, a greatly expanded faculty, occupancy of the Social Work Building at 2609 University, and increased recognition for the School on both state and national levels. Commenting on his resignation, the Alumni Association Newsletter stated, "All of us who are proud of our bond with the School of Social Work owe a great debt to the man who has guided it for the last twelve years."

AN UNSETTLED TIME

Four years passed before the School of Social Work again had a permanent dean. Dr. George Herbert, who joined the faculty in 1970 and became the Associate Dean in 1974, assumed the position of Acting Dean for the 1977- 1978 school year In May, 1978, Dr. W. Joseph Heffernan was appointed Dean of the School of Social Work. Dr. Heffernan came from the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He resigned from the deanship in 1980, and, after service as a Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, is devoting full time to teaching and research in the School of Social Work.

Following Dr. Heffernan's resignation, Dr. Louis Zurcher Professor of Social Work who had served previously as Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of the University's Graduate School, became the Acting Dean until a permanent dean could be found. Following a nation- wide search, Dr. Martha Shipe Williams was appointed Dean of the School. Dr. Williams began her tenure as Dean in August, 1981. With the dizzying changes of leadership and searches for leadership preceding her appointment, Dr. Williams had her work cut out for her. Her long association and familiarity with The University as student, clerk and secretary and with the School of Social Work in which she had risen in fifteen years through all academic ranks to Professor were among the many factors which has made her selection a fortuitous one.

Dean Williams' first priority was to prepare for the upcoming accreditation review by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). In addition, cutbacks in federal aid resulted in the loss of funding for numerous field faculty positions. An alternative to the existing system of field placement (in which field faculty from the School directly supervised students in the field) needed to be found immediately. The current system, the result of many long hours of work by the field instruction faculty and staff, requires that supervision be provided by the student's field supervisor (a carefully selected and qualified agency employee), with a faculty member serving as a liaison between school and the field placement. The faculty member is responsible for a mid- term and final review of the student's performance and submits the final grade. There are currently over 120 field supervisors in participating agencies who, with their generously volunteered supervision, perform an invaluable service for the School.

In order to increase enrollment, Dean Williams, with the help of the entire faculty, developed a part-time or extended program, the first in the School's history. The new program, implemented in Fall, 1982, allows persons who are already working in social work or related fields to get a degree in 3- 4 years, and has been very well received. In addition, an innovative program was begun in cooperation with The University of Texas at El Paso. Faculty from the School travel to El Paso on a regular basis to teach the same courses they teach in Austin. The development of this program is particularly interesting in light of the fact that one of the original bills to establish a Graduate School of Social Work back in 1949 called for the establishment of the school both in Austin and at the Texas College of Mines (now UT- EI Paso). Even though that bill never passed, it seems, in Dean Williams' words, that we have "come full circle" with the establishment of the El Paso Program.

THIRTY AND PROUD OF IT

Major achievements mark the beginning of the School's fourth decade of service. The BSW and MSSW programs have been accredited to the year of 1989. A successful transition has been made, with the generous support and assistance of community agencies, from a heavily faculty- based field program (supported by grants) to a completely agency- based program including a wide range of non- traditional placements and a number of paid internships for second- year students. In recognition of the increasingly important role in social work education played by agency- based field instructors, outstanding contributors are now designated by the University as adjunct faculty. The School has completed a very successful review of its doctoral program by the Coordinating Board- Texas College and University System. A program for MSSW students has been established in Austin and an innovative and experimental cooperative program is offered by school faculty in cooperation with the University of Texas at El Paso to which our faculty now commute to teach graduate courses. We have initiated a series of conferences on Mexico- U.S. border issues and undertaken research in human service needs and programs in the border region. Dean Williams served as program chairperson and the School as co- host for the 1983 Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in Fort Worth. Dr. Louis Zurcher, a distinguished faculty member of the School and editor of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, has been recognized by the University Board of Regents with the designation as an Ashbel Smith Professor Nineteen students have completed the Ph.D. in Social Work, two of whom have been honored by the Graduate School for outstanding dissertations selected in competition with others completed during the same year.

An outstanding and most significant accomplishment during the University's Centennial Celebration was the completion of fund raising for permanently- endowed positions in the School-- two chairs, seven professorships, and one lectureship. The number of endowed chairs and professorships is now the largest among schools of social work in the United States. When each of the positions is fully funded, the total dollar amount of faculty endowments will be second highest among schools of social work in the country. The first endowed position established in the School, the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy, was created in memory of the long- time Director and President of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and supporter of the School. The $520,000 endowment for this position was contributed by major foundations, alumni, other friends of the School, and friends and colleagues of Bob Sutherland. Dr. Sutherland was foremost among those who provided leadership to the development and support of mental health services in the state. He was also the motivating force for the organization of the Conference of Southwest Foundations. Funding of the Sutherland Chair was completed as the University entered its Centennial Celebration, resulting in the Chair's designation as the first fully- endowed position to be recognized by the Board of Regents during the Centennial.

Dr. Bertram S. Brown, a psychiatrist and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, was appointed the first Sutherland Professor in the fall semester, 1982. Dr. Brown had served previously as a member of the National Advisory Council of the Hogg Foundation and as a consultant to national and international organizations on issues related to mental health. He now serves as President of the Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current holder of the Sutherland Chair is Dr. Richard A. English, Professor of Social Work at The University of Michigan and President of the Council on Social Work Education.

To encourage the establishment of endowed chairs and professorships, the University Board of Regents established a Centennial Teachers and Scholars Program through which gifts funding newlyendowed chairs in the minimum amount of $500,000 and professorships in the minimum amount of $100,000 could be matched dollar- for- dollar by funds from the Teachers and Scholars Program. A once- in- a- lifetime opportunity was created for the School when Dean Milkes of Corsicana, a member of the Social Work Foundation Advisory Council, and members of the Board of Directors of the Kalmon and Ida Wolens Foundation offered the School a "challenge" pledge of $250,000 to establish the Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology. The challenge was to raise a matching $250,000 to continue the humanitarian interests and selfless service displayed by Louis and Ann Wolens throughout their lifetime in a very wide range of humanitarian, civic and philanthropic activities. The challenge and inspiration were, as well, to qualify the resulting $500,000 for an equal amount from the Centennial Teachers and Scholars Fund to create total endowments of $1 million in support of social work education and service. With abundant help of friends and supporters of the School and of social work education and with help and encouragement from the University administration. the challenge was met.

Picture of Louis WolensLouis Wolens' philosophy of life and concern for the wellbeing of others is best described in his own words: "I think it would be losing one of the most important privileges that you have if you had the means whereby you could help others who need help and overlooked the opportunity. It would not only be a sin, but also poor judgment and worse behavior.'' With his father and brothers he helped to build a chain of department stores second to none in East Texas. Known as "Uncle" Louis Wolens to store personnel, he was always a "people person:' one who did not pass a person without a greeting and rarely was he unknown to those he had met. He searched out needs and helped to meet them whether they involved little people or big entities. He devoted himself to God, his wife, his business and the world-- and he loved them all dearly and to the fullest extent. He received numerous awards for his services to others, characteristically shrugging off laudatory remarks and avoiding publicity if possible. The Louis and Ann Wolens Chair in Education of the Disadvantaged was established at the School of Education of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1981.

Five professorships were established to meet the challenge. Once again, Mrs. Willoughby came to our assistance establishing the Clara Pope Willoughby Centennial Professorship in Child Welfare -the endowment fund of which will be $100,000. Friends, supporters and beneficiaries of the dedicated professional service provided by Ruby Lee Piester (MSSW, 1959) and the Edna Gladney Home of Fort Worth, which she served as director, combined their energies and resources to endow the Ruby lee Piester Centennial Professorship M Services to Children and Families. This is the first endowed position to be created in the School in recognition of one of our graduates. A third professorship, the Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professorship in Social Work, also to be endowed in a minimum amount of $100,000, was created to recognize the outstanding contributions made by Mrs. Smith, long- time Executive Associate of the Hogg Foundation, in recognition of her contributions as author, public speaker, and inspiration to many persons through her publications and service covering mental health topics from youth to adulthood. The fourth professorship, this one in alcohol studies and education, was established by a contribution from the board of the Cullen Trust for Health Care and is designated the Cullen Trust Centennial Professorship in Alcohol Studies and Education. Faculty appointed to this professorship will contribute research, education, and service to alcohol studies and education through the years to come. The fifth professorship, supported by gifts from corporations and interested persons, has the special mission of studying new approaches for effective leadership among professionals, corporations and civically active people for higher levels of utilitarian and humanitarian service. This professorship is designated the Centennial Professorship in Leadership for Community Professional, and Corporate Excellence. Friends and supporters of the School successfully met the dual challenges provided by the Wolens Foundation and the Board of Regents' Centennial Teachers and Scholars Fund by achieving what seemed to be an almost impossible task of raising $250,000 in a comparatively short period of time. With abundant help, the challenge was met in the nick of time.

A sixth professorship was established by the Meadows Foundation of Dallas, which designated the School of Social Work as recipient of a Centennial Teachers and Scholars matching sum for a gift to the University's School of Architecture. We were pleased and delighted to be beneficiaries of a $200,000 endowment to establishment the Meadows Foundation Centennial Professorship in the Quality of Life in the Rural Environment in the School of Social Work.

Again through the wisdom and foresight of the Regents in creating the Centennial Teachers and Scholars Program, a $20,000 contribution from the Meadows Foundation in September 1981 to the Sutherland Chair endowment qualified for a matching sum which was used to endow a lectureship in memory and recognition of Dr. Harry Moore, a University of Texas Sociology colleague of Dr. Bob Sutherland and another early supporter of the establishment of social work education at The University. Income from this fund will be used to bring one or more distinguished lecturers to the School each year.

Flushed with the achievement of eight endowed faculty positions and a lectureship during the Centennial period, we were all but overwhelmed with our good fortune when we learned in December 1983 of yet another recognition of Mrs. Willoughby's continuing interest in the School, this time through a gift by her son and daughter for the establishment of a second professorship in her name, to be designated the Clara Pope Willoughby Centennial Professorship in Criminal Justice. The total endowment for this professorship, including the Centennial Teachers and Scholars matching sum, will be $200,000.

STILL GROWING

The Texas Constitution purports to create "a university of the first class" in The University of Texas. A principal objective growing out of the Centennial review of the University's achievements and plans proposes future recognition as a "world class" university. With the new resources and opportunities now available or close by, the School will aspire to be no less than among the best of its kind. The endowed faculty positions when fully funded will provide a major thrust for future achievements and recognition. Activities are underway to revise and strengthen the MSSW curriculum through specialization in areas such as gerontology, corporate social work, corrections, health, and administration. The curriculum is being strengthened in other areas through the introduction of computers and computer technology in support of social work education, service planning and service delivery. The time is fast approaching for another move by the School to facilities more appropriate for a school of excellence. The School's faculty is increasingly becoming distinguished through research, publication, teaching, consultation, and community service. The University administration and environment provide excellent support for all of these activities. Practicum opportunities abound and excellent field instruction is available through agency- based field placements in Austin and elsewhere throughout the state as well as the nation. As always, students at all levels, BSW, MSSW, and Ph.D., continue to feel overwhelmed by the enormous task of learning all they should know to carry out their responsibilities as able professional social workers. Even so, graduates continue to distinguish themselves and reflect well on the School through their many achievements.

While there have been rough spots along the way, the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin, its graduates, students, faculty and supporters have much of which to be proud and an abundance of opportunities for future work and service.

Reprinted from: An Idea Worth Fulfilling, Social Work Education: 1950-1983


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