David M. Austin
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NASW Social Work Pioneer® David M. Austin Dies
1923-2008
Dr. David M. Austin, a pioneer in the field of social work education and a former faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin, died May 29 in Berea, Ky, following his battle with cancer. He was 84.
Austin was among the first social work students supported through the GI Bill following World War II. In 1963, he directed a planning team in Cleveland, which prepared the first comprehensive community-based action proposal funded under President Kennedy’s Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. The program became known as Community Action for Youth.
In addition to the university, Austin taught social work at Western Reserve University, Smith College, Boston University, Brandeis University, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Boston College, and Rockefeller College, State University of New York at Albany.
Austin joined the university’s School of Social Work in 1973 and held the Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professorship. During his 24 years at the university, he served as acting dean of the School of Social Work (1991-93) and was director of the school’s Center for Social Work Research from 1974-79. He received numerous teaching awards including UT-Austin’s Lora Lee Pederson Teaching Excellence Award and University Outstanding Graduate Teach ing Award and was honored nationally for his research, particularly in the area of human service management. His scholarship, especially his 1988 book, “The Political Economy of Human Service Programs,” has provided the seminal statement on the distinguishing characteristics of human service organizations.
From 1988 to 1991, Austin served as chairman of the National Institute of Mental Health Task Force on Social Work Research, which produced an extensive report with far-reaching recommendations for changes in the organization of research within the profession of social work.
The report remains one of the most important and long-lasting projects in professional social work, according to Dr. Barbara W. White, dean of the university School of Social Work. It was this initiative, she said, that led the National Institute on Drug Abuse to establish the research grant program that has supported research activities of many faculty in social work programs around the country, among them UT-Austin.
“In his brilliant career, David has left a magnificent legacy in the students whom he mentored, taught and inspired,” said White. “He was a leading scholar in the field of social work and his profound contributions have been recognized through numerous awards.
“It was David’s work, in fact, that led to the strengthening of the doctoral program and research center at the university School of Social Work.”
The National Association of Social Workers named Austin a Social Work Pioneer® in 1997.
He is survived by his wife, Zuria Farmer Austin, and two sons, Clayton Austin and Paul Austin, a daughter, Dr. Judith Austin, and eight grandchildren.
A memorial service to be held on The University of Texas at Austin campus later this summer or early in the fall is being planned.
Click here to view David’s NASW Social Work Pioneer® Profile.
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Warren Clark Lamson
August 20, 1914 -May 5, 2008
Mr. Warren Clark Lamson, 93, of Solomons Island, MD died May 5, 2008 at his residence in Solomons, MD. He was born in Neligh, Nebraska, August 20, 1914 to the late John Wesley and Laura Alice Lamson. Mr. Lamson graduated from Wayne State College with a Bachelors Degree in Education in 1938, and from the University Of Nebraska Graduate School Of Social Work in 1942 with a Masters Degree in Social Work. He taught in the public schools of Nebraska for several years prior to attending graduate school.
Mr. Lamson was a World War II veteran and served from 1942-1946, in the Adjutant Generals Department of the Army as a First Lieutenant. He specialized in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work during this time. After discharge from the Army, he was employed as a Chief, Social Work Branch, Denver Regional Office of the Veterans Administration from 1946-1949. In 1949, he became a Mental Health Consultant in the United States Public Health Service Regional Office in Dallas, Texas. In 1950, he became the Chief Psychiatric Social Worker in the Community Services Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, in Bethesda, MD. He served in several other administrative and consultative capacities in the Agency before retiring in 1974 as Chief of the Continuing Education Branch. After retirement he was employed as Chief Social Worker in the Maryland State Department of Mental Hygiene. He retired from this position in 1978.
Mr. Lamson was active at the national level in several social work organizations. He was charter member of the National Association of Social Workers and served on several commissions and committees of that organization and the Council on Social Work Education. He was a charter member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers and was a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Maryland. In 1974, he was honored by the University of Nebraska as an outstanding alumnus. In 1994, he was honored as a pioneer in social work by the National Association of Social Work. Mr. Lamson had numerous articles in mental health published in professional publications.
Mr. Lamson was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, and a member of DeWitt Lodge #111 AF&AM, DeWitt, Nebraska.
He is survived by his loving wife Julia L. “Judy” Lamson, three children, Gary W. and his wife Joan Lamson of Warren, NJ, Larry D. and his wife Francine Lamson of St. Leonard, MD and Gayle L. and her husband Richard Lloyd of St. Leonard, MD, and six grandchildren Brandon, Shawn, Justin, Jeffrey, Marshall and Kristin.
Click here for Memorial Service information
Click here for Warren Clark Lamson’s NASW Social Work Pioneer® Profile
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Grace L. Hewell
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Grace L. Hewell, 89, a retired social worker and federal education specialist, died March 7 of congestive heart failure at Providence Hospital in the District. She was a resident of the District and Chattanooga, Tenn.
Dr. Hewell was born in Chattanooga and graduated from Spelman College in 1940. After receiving a master’s degree in social work from Atlanta University in 1943, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps and became a second lieutenant while serving in Germany. From 1945 to 1950, she was a service club director with the U.S. armed forces in Europe.
She received a master’s degree in 1952, a master’s degree in public health in 1954 and a doctorate in education in 1958, all from Columbia University.
She worked as a social worker with the St. Louis Housing Authority in the early 1950s and then became a public health educator with the New York City Department of Health.
She moved to Washington in 1960 to work as a program coordination officer at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now Health and Human Services). She was assigned to the office of the assistant secretary for legislation.
During the first session of the 89th Congress in 1965, she was appointed education chief for the House Committee on Education and Labor, chaired by Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (D-N.Y.), who had been her pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City.
The 89th Congress was labeled “the education Congress” because of the passage of 15 education bills. However, a conference committee reached an impasse on provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 that would expand continuing education programs and would provide greater opportunities for historically black colleges to compete for federal funds.
Dr. Hewell helped Powell break the impasse and in the process forced the federal government to begin closing the gap between white and black education in the United States.
Wil Haygood, Powell’s biographer, described in a 1993 Boston Globe article how the New York congressman used his power and knowledge of the rules to make it more difficult for Southern House members to mass against the bill before it reached the House floor. Haygood, now with The Washington Post, quoted Dr. Hewell as saying: “It was the hardest job I ever had. Two or 3 o’clock in the morning I was on the floor of the House.”
Powell and President Lyndon B. Johnson considered the comprehensive education bill a magnificent achievement. So did Dr. Hewell.
She was an adult education program officer in the Office of Education for the New York region from 1967 to 1978 and later a consultant on educational telecommunications for the Department of Education.
She was a commission member for UNESCO’s Fourth International Conference on Adult Education from 1975 to 1980.
Dr. Hewell served on the executive board of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and was a life member of the National Council of Negro Women. When she retired from government service, she established a second residence in Chattanooga and helped then-Sen. Al Gore clean up a creek that had been described as “the most polluted and contaminated” in the South.
There are no immediate survivors.
Source: Joe Holley, Washington Post, Thursday, April 10, 2008; Page B07
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2007 Knee/Wittman Achievement Awards and NASW National Lifetime Achievement Ceremony and Reception
Approximately 80 people attended the 2007 Knee/Wittman Achievement Awards and the 2007 NASW National Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony and Reception on Friday, February 1, 2008, at The Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. The evening opened with welcoming remarks from NASW Executive Director and NASW Foundation President Elizabeth J. Clark who recognized the NASW Social Work Pioneers®, chapter executive directors, national board members and NASW staff who were in attendance. This was the 16th year that the Knee/Wittman awards have been given to recognize individuals who are models of excellence and have made significant contributions in the field of health and mental health. Award namesake Ruth Knee, who served as the host for the evening, also addressed the gathering, noting the “professional and caring contributions” of the award recipients. Milton Wittman was represented by his son, Perry Wittman.
Betsy Vourlekis was recognized with the Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement in Health and Mental Health Practice Award, Teresa DeCrescenzo received the Outstanding Achievement in Health and Mental Health Policy Award, and Dorothy V. Harris was honored with the NASW National Lifetime Achievement Award during the event.
DeCrescenzo has long been recognized as an icon in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She founded Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS), a non-profit agency that provides comprehensive services for youth, particularly those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender who live in out-of-home care. Betsy Vourlekis has contributed to social work research and practice on the national and international levels and has had a career spanning many areas. NASW President Elvira Craig de Silva presented Dorothy V. Harris with the NASW Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a leader in child welfare initiatives that focus on improving child welfare systems.
Esther Glasser

NASW Pioneer Esther Glasser died Saturday, February 2, 2008 in Arlington, VA
Click here for her NASW Pioneer Biography
Click here for her husband Mel Glasser’s NASW Pioneer Biography
GLASSER Esther K. Glasser (Age 91) On Saturday, February 2, 2008, Esther K. Glasser, of Arlington, VA. Mother of Stephen A. (Lynn) Glasser, Amy H. (Lawrence) Corey and Robin (Frank) Hudson. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held at the Arlington Funeral Home, 3901 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA on Monday, February 4, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to: Glasser Family Scholarship Fund, in honor of Esther and Melvin Glasser, Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 or the National Association of Social Workers Foundation, Suite 700, 750 First ST. NE., Washington, DC, 20002, website: www.naswfoundation.org
Published in The Washington Post on 2/2/2008.
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Joan K. Parry

NASW Past Board Member Joan K. Parry died January 9th, 2008 in La Jolla, CA
Click here for the Obituary
Dr. Joan K. Parry Dies at 79 in her La Jolla Home. Joan K. Parry, DSW, ACSW, LCSW, passed away the morning of January 9th in her own La Jolla home where she had expressly wished to die. She died of lung and liver cancer. A Native New Yorker, she had been a resident of the San Diego area for the past twenty-five years. She received her bachelors from Columbia University, her MSW from Adelphi and her DSW from Yeshiva University, all in New York. Dr. Parry had over thirty-five years of experience as a social work practitioner and teacher. Her areas of expertise were in death and dying, group and psychiatric social work. She was Professor Emeritus from the San Jose State University School of Social Work, and served on the five-member National Task Force of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to write continuing education standards for 100,000 professional social workers. She was active for over two decades in AASWG (Association for the Advancement of Social Work in Groups) and was the co-founder of the San Diego Chapter in 1993. She held numerous other positions with AASWG and NASW (National Association of Social Work) in both the New York and California state chapters, including being on the Executive Board of NASW from 1998-2002, and President of the AASWG San Diego Chapter from 1993-1997. She was also a member of the Council on Social Work Education. She received many awards and honors over the years, including most recently Social Worker of the Year in 2005 and a Lifetime achievement Award by AASWG in August of 2007. Dr. Parry was the author of numerous articles, chapters, and books, including the first edition of Social Work Practice with the Terminally Ill (1989) and A Cross-Cultural Look at Death, Dying, and Religion (1995). Dr. Parry worked as a psychiatric social worker at a mental health clinic, as a Family Service Supervisor in Freeport, New York, and as Director of Social Work at the Community Hospital in Glen Cove, New York. She taught at the Hunter College School of Social Work from 1980 to 1984, and the San Jose State University College of Social Work from 1985 to 1993. She then retired from teaching and remained in the San Diego area as an LCSW Consultant and volunteer until her passing. She also recently published a novel A Hand to Hold. Joan was married to John Parry for nearly fifty years until his passing in 2000, and is survived by her three children, Linda Paricio of Walnut Creek, CA, Glenn Aparicio Parry of Albuquerque, NM and Neil Parry of Rochester, NY, her brother Pete Kaufman, and grandchildren Jody Goldman, Dana Goldman, Bryan, Matt and Evan Parry. Funeral services will be held at Dor Hadash synagogue at 4858 Ronson Ct in San Diego on Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 3pm and the family will welcome friends and relatives to sit shivah at 8850 Villa La Jolla Dr #215 on Sunday evening following the funeral and Monday from 10am-4pm. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to AASWG Inc. (2303 Winfield St, Rahway, NJ 07065).
To leave a tribute to Joan, please click on the comments link below.
Betty Broadhurst

NASW Social Work Pioneer Betty Broadhurst died Monday, December 31st , 2007 in
Click here for the Obituary
Click here for her Social Work Pioneer Biography
Dr. Betty P. Broadhurst, 88, a Denver, Colorado native passed away peacefully December 31, 2007. Dr. Broadhurst practiced social work and was an educator for over 50 years. Her higher education began at Colorado College, graduating in1940. She then received her MS in Psychiatric Social Work from Smith College in 1942, and was a caseworker in one of the first child guidance clinics in the country. Betty served as an officer in the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1943-1946. Later, she wrote a collection of writings about her Coast Guard assignments and about different WWII social work experiences published by the Columbia University Press. After WWII, Dr. Broadhurst held several positions in clinical social work with the Veterans Administration, Yale Medical Center, Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Denver. Due to her extensive involvement in international social work, Betty received a Fulbright Fellowship in 1953. For two years she was an instructor and consultant at the University of Vienna School of Social Work. Dr. Broadhurst’s teaching positions included the University of Denver, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Colorado State University. She received her DSW from Columbia University in 1964. Dr. Broadhurst was a Professor Emeritus in the Social Work Department at Colorado State University. Throughout her teaching career Betty has maintained and developed international social work opportunities and learning experiences for her students and exchange scholars. This led to her extensive involvement with the Experiment in International Living. Leading groups to Europe and organizing the Experiment in Denver, making this one of her most unique accomplishments. Dr. Broadhurst led tours to Cuba, Mexico, and other Central and South American countries, as well as lecturing on subjects such as the accomplishments of East Indian women, mass communication, and social change. Betty was an avid traveler her entire adult life, photographing most of her adventures. She won awards for her photographs of native life, human interest, nature and countryside. Betty is survived by her sister (Sue) Mrs. Douw Fonda, 5 nieces and 1 nephew, and 14 grand nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Colorado College- Attn: Development Office of Colorado College, P.O. Box 1117, Colorado Springs Co. 80901-9897, or charity of your choice. A celebration of Betty’s life will be held on Wednesday, January 9 @11:00 a.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center with a reception to follow. A private family service will be held in Denver, date pending.
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Yes, I want to contribute to the NASW Foundation!
The NASW Foundation is uniquely yours — the sole national charitable organization that is:
- addressing the needs of individual social workers,
- advancing the social work profession at the highest levels, and
- enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
The success of Foundation initiatives is vitally dependent on contributions from those who care most about the social work profession — NASW members and friends like you!
Contributions to NASW Foundation are tax-deductible. Please consider making your gift today of $50, $30 — or more if you can — to the NASW Foundation to support important social work projects including:
- National Social Work Public Education Campaign, to increase awareness and understanding of social work.
- www.HelpStartsHere.org - a free social work Web resource for consumers on issues affecting individuals, families, and communities.
- WebEd - free continuing education courses.
- Support for NASW chapters’ educational and charitable social work projects.
- Scholarships and fellowships for students pursuing social work degrees, and national awards that honor the exceptional service of social workers.
- NASW Social Work Pioneers® honoring outstanding social workers, and
- the LEGACY Program, preserving NASW and Social Work History.
As social workers, we share a unique commitment to improving our communities. Please click here to make a secure online gift. Thank you for the difference you make each day, and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director, NASW
President, NASW Foundation
P.S. If you have recently made a gift, we appreciate your support!
Media Placements Gain Attention for Social Work
National Placements Where do many women go when they need information about how to handle life and all that it throws at them? Their favorite magazine, of course! In an effort to reach out to sandwich generation women, the PE Campaign placed advertising in high profile women’s magazines — magazines where women turn to help them juggle their priorities. In June, NASW ran a full-page advertisement in More Magazine. More is considered the magazine for those who are “fabulous over 40” and has a circulation of 1.2 million readers. In September, NASW ran an ad in Ladies Home Journal. With a wide range of editorial content, Ladies Home Journal appeals to the sandwich generation woman. It has a circulation of more than four million readers.
Washington State Covered the State with Social Work “The tremendous financial support from these organizations allowed the WA Chapter to reach out to our neighbors ten doors down and across the state of who social workers are and what social workers do for our communities,” says Hoyt Suppes, MSW, executive director of the NASW WA Chapter.“The PE Campaign is an excellent opportunity to advance knowledge of the profession and increase understanding of what professional social workers do for our daily lives.”
Reminder - The PE Campaign Team can provide you the creative image for your advertising placements free of charge. Contact us at media@naswdc.org. |
VIDEO: “On Any Given Day – Social Workers Help”
Campaign video highlights important work of social workers
| HOW CAN I USE THIS VIDEO? Here are some suggestions on opportunities to use this video: • Conferences • Career Fairs/Career Days • Grand Rounds • Presentations to Senior Management • Student Recruitment • Community and Religious Meetings • Editorial Boards with Newspapers • Health Fairs |
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WEB 2.0 HELPING THE CAMPAIGN —
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Social workers know that on any given day they are working with clients, families
and communities. They are working on Capitol Hill or with organizations that are
making a change in society. Now, the National Social Work Public Education
Campaign has a tool to show social workers as they effect change for their clients
and for their communities.
This 5-minute video follows three social workers through their work with clients and
communities to show, rather than tell, the breadth and depth of social work practice.
Jennifer Perez is a social worker for the trauma and medical unit at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. She is the calming force to those whose lives have been turned upside down by tragedy. Jennifer works with the patient and their families to reduce the chaos in their lives and to work on a transition to their next step.
Sue Matorin is a social worker and therapist in New York City. She works one-on-one with clients to help them through troublesome situations in their lives. Sue’s clients rely on her ability to help them get the symptoms of stress under control and work through their problems.
William Bell is the President and CEO of Casey Family Programs, an organization dedicated to providing, improving and ultimately preventing the need for foster care. He is a social worker who is enacting change for the thousands of youth in the foster care system through his advocacy for social justice.
These social workers highlight three distinct areas of social work practice and give the viewers a snapshot of the important work that social workers do.
“On Any Given Day” debuted at the Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Program Meeting in October 2007. NASW Chapters and individuals may obtain more information about “On Any Given Day” at media@naswdc.org.
Where do many women go when they need information about how to handle life and all that it throws at them? Their favorite magazine,
of course! In an effort to reach out to sandwich generation women, the PE Campaign placed advertising in high profile women’s magazines — magazines where women turn to help them juggle their priorities. In June, NASW ran a full-page advertisement in More Magazine. More is considered the magazine for those who are “fabulous over 40” and has a circulation of 1.2 million readers. In September, NASW ran an ad in Ladies Home Journal. With a wide range of editorial content, Ladies Home Journal appeals to the sandwich generation woman. It has a circulation of more than four million readers.

