Leadership in 1952–53
In 1953, Robert Foster became NCFR’s 10th president. From 1932 to 1947, he was the head of the Family Life Department and Director of Marriage and Parental Counseling Services at the Merrill–Palmer Institute. He then was a professor of family relations and sociology at the University of Kansas. In 1950, he was named Director of the Marriage Counseling Service and Training Program at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, KS, and in 1959 he joined the staff of the Tulsa, OK, Psychiatric Foundation. As NCFR President, he appointed several committees, including one to study and clarify the relationship of the sections in the overarching organizational framework. […]
Membership in 1952–53
By 1953, only 16 new members had been gained, for a total of 2,422. The controversy over membership policy continued. Howard Stanton was appointed to chair a membership analysis committee. He found several startling facts. First, of the 7,164 individuals who had joined NCFR at one time or another from January 1, 1930 through January 1, 1951, only 54%—3,912—had renewed their membership. Expectations of new members had not been met. Even the membership drive initiated at the 1953 Annual Conference at Rutgers University did not succeed. Read the 1952 membership recruitment letter
Journals and Publications in 1952–53
In 1953, President John O’Grady appointed Dorothy Dyer to chair a committee to deal with the journal relationship problems plaguing Marriage and Family Living (MFL). Her report, which clarified the management and operations of the journal, was submitted at the 1953 Board meeting. Most notable was the stand on developing relationships with other organizations. The individuals responsible for the journal would continue to make the financial decisions. At no time would space be sold to another organization without express approval of the Board of Directors. Editorships were rotated, and Editors were ex-officio members of the Executive Committee. The Editorial Council would […]
Affiliates in 1952–53
As NCFR reorganized, it became clear that the delegation of authority between the national office and the affiliates needed better clarification. Affiliate dissatisfaction was evident and demanded immediate attention. In 1953, President Robert Foster appointed another committee to investigate this relationship. David Fulcomer chaired that committee, which presented 20 recommendations for reinforcing the bond between NCFR and its affiliates. These efforts would continue for a long period of time. Read the 1953 Report of the Committee on the Relationship Between the National Council on Family Relations and Its Affiliates Despite these few years of crisis and reorganization, NCFR continued to reflect its […]
1953 Midwest Ad Hoc Conference on the proposed U.S. Family Department of Welfare
In 1952, NCFR was instrumental in organizing a Midwest Ad Hoc Conference on the proposed U.S. Family Department of Welfare. The purpose of the conference was to facilitate interprofessional consideration of family welfare and the implications of a proposed federal welfare department. It took place in Chicago on February 27, 1953, and was sponsored by NCFR, nine midwestern state councils, and several other organizations. NCFR President Robert Foster presided over the conference. Chair of the day was Fred Hoehler, CEO of the Citizen’s Committee of Greater Chicago and former Director of the Illinois Department of Welfare. Keynote speakers were Helen Ross, Administrative Director of […]
Leadership in 1951-52
In the Fall of 1951, Msgr. John O’Grady became NCFR’s ninth president and served 15 months, through Summer 1953. He had authored a book, Catholic Charities in the USA, and was a scholar and historian. He served for 32 years as Director of National Conference of Catholic Charities. He was also a sociology professor at the Catholic University of America and Trinity College in Washington, DC. He was a pioneer in the development of public housing policy in the United States and was also known for his work on aging. He was appointed to the President’s Commission on Immigration and Naturalization. The following […]
1952 Conference: Family Planning for a Permanent Emergency
The 1952 Annual Conference was held August 30–September 2 at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The main theme was “Family Planning for a Permanent Emergency.”
Membership in 1951–52
In 1952, NCFR lost 220 members, leaving a total of 2,406.
Recent Comments in this Document
June 7, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Sure, no problem
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June 7, 2016 at 2:45 pm
I wondered if I could use this for a project in my Chicano Studies class at ASU. The project will be put up in an exhibit display and possibly travel around to schools. Please let me know.
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November 12, 2013 at 10:20 am
Also worth a mention: John Gottman gave a Research Update for Practitioners on his marital research, which was well attended.
By the way, the name is “Celine Le Bourdais.”
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August 21, 2013 at 11:47 am
Dennis,
Enjoyed the story. And, what a lucky break for me that you did make this decision. Hope all is well.
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August 15, 2013 at 9:19 am
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.
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August 13, 2013 at 1:24 pm
One of my first NCFR conferences was in Portland and I was still a doctoral student then, and a member of the Executive Committee of NCFR as the student rep. It was at that meeting that I was really thinking about my career and where I should go with it. I was a student in family sociology and my chair was Lee Axelson, then the President of NCFR. He wanted me to take a sociology position. But others suggested that my interests would be better served in Child and Family Development (then in Home Ec) where relationship issues would be easier to study. I did not know which way to go.
At that meeting we took a bus trip to the coast of Oregon for a “salmon bake” on the beach. I sat on the bus between Eleanor Luckey and Ruth Jewson. All the way over and back we talked about career directions and those two people who I respected so much listened to me, and gave me their counsel, experience, and wisdom. Eleanor noted that she had been trained in psychology but chose to go into child and family development since there were more peers there who could help her frame her ideas and help them mature. Ruth saw the emerging scholarship in CFD and the quality of research coming out. The result of that was my turning down sociology jobs and taking the CFD position at UNC-Greensboro, where John Scanzoni and others later joined me a a great department. And my first students there were Jay Mancini and Gary Bowen, who have become successful scholars in their own right.
So the memories of that NCFR in Portland so many years ago remind me of how important it is to continue to foster opportunities for young student scholars to meet with senior people who can give them other ideas, and perhaps bring perspectives that their own programs may not be able to offer. Keep mixing us all up, and recognize the key role you play in the stirring of the creative pots in this vital area of family research and practice.
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July 12, 2013 at 3:49 pm
These changes have been incorporated. Thanks for your feedback.
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July 11, 2013 at 8:52 am
Edits–
1. Please add that he was a professor for nearly 30 years
2. Also change “:marriage and family therapist” to “marriage and family researcher and therapist”
3. Prepare and Enrich should be all CAPS—PREPARE ENRICH
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July 8, 2013 at 4:16 pm
That terminology has been corrected. Thanks Marilyn.
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July 8, 2013 at 4:13 pm
In 1988-89, I was Association of Councils president-elect. In 1989-90, I was president. There was no vice president. Other officers were program chair, secretary/treasurer, and past president. Both the president elect and the president served on the NCFR Board.
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