1980 Conference: The Quality of Family Life: Integrating Theory, Research, and Application

Wesley Burr, Program Chair
¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 The 1980 Annual Conference was held at the Hilton Hotel, Portland, OR, October 22–25. Wesley R. Burr was program chair and chose the theme “The Quality of Family Life: Integrating Theory, Research, and Application.” About 800 attended.
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Urie Bronfenbrenner of Cornell University gave the opening plenary address, “Environmental Stresses and Supports in Parent–Child Activities.” He was sponsored by the students. Moncrieff Cochran, also of Cornell, discussed “Informal Support Systems.” Augustus Napier of Atlanta, GA, addressed the conference on “Marriage in Crisis: A Systems Perspective on Treatment and Prevention.”
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 A panel consisting of Reuben Hill, Joan Aldous, Greer Litton Fox, Felix Berardo, and Jazcqueline Wiserman focused on “Decade Preview: The Family Field and the 1980s.”
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 The Affiliated Councils and the Family Action Section sponsored John A. Calhoun, Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, who spoke on “Launching a National Family Perspective.” A dialogue following his presentation was conducted with Calhoun, Ruth Jewson, and Carlfred Broderick.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Ira Reiss‘s Presidential Address was titled “Ideology and Sexuality.” Graham Spanier and Arthur Norton, of the U.S. Census Bureau, led a didactic session on “Family Demography.” Glenn Elder, the 1979 Burgess Award recipient, gave the Burgess Address.
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 The Family Therapy Section sponsored a half-day experiential workshop dealing with divorce, led by Robert Menninger, MD, of the Menninger Foundation. The section also offered a pre-conference session on “Family Problems as Seen in Children’s Books,” led by Bernice Hunt. Dennis Orthner and Barbara A. Chandler offered a pre-conference workshop on “The Quality of Family Life in the Military.”
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Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0
Read the conference program
Gallery
- Urie Bronfenbrenner
- Moncrieff Cochran
- Augustus Napier
- Reuben Hill
- Joan Aldous
- Greer Litton Fox
- Felix Berardo
- John Calhoun
- Ruth Jewson
- Carlfred Broderick
- Ira Reiss
- Graham Spanier
- Glen Elder
- Dennis Orthner
The 1980 Portland Conference was 12 days after Mt. St. Helen had erupted. There was lots of ash around all over, and I still have a bottle of that ash. That was the year we had an afternoon trip to near Mt. St. Helen’s planned, and still took the trip. On the way up the bus stopped at Crown Point which was typically one of the windiest spots around. The wind was so strong that it blew the name badges out of the plastic holders. It also blew Ruth Jewson, Helen Hartness, and me on top of each other (which was scary for us with Ruth, but she wasn’t hurt). The bus also stopped at Multnomah Falls which was stunning. That evening I played for Bert Adams to sing songs from some musicals. He did a magnificent job.