Other Activities in 1974–75
Sen. Walter Mondale invited NCFR to submit a statement on the Child and Family Service Bill to be printed in the hearing record. The statement was prepared by Richard Kerckhoff and Florence Kerckhoff, and members were urged to support the bill. NCFR, the American Home Economics Association and the National Council on Aging sponsored a one-day symposium in Washington, DC, on family decision making. A position paper on the Equal Rights Amendment was accepted by the NCFR Board.
Affiliates in 1974–75
Affiliates and the Family Action Section were asked to establish task forces on public policy. The Task Force on Divorce began publication of a newsletter in that year. Gladys Phelan of Fort Collins, CO, became Chair of the Congress of Affiliated Councils. A workshop for Affiliates’ regional representatives was held at the NCFR headquarters in Minneapolis. It was concerned with such issues as establishing rapport and building group cohesion, sharing concerns and expectations, increasing participation in the councils, public relations, management, programming, and officer and committee structures.
Journals and Publications in 1974–75
Carlfred Broderick’s term as Editor of the Journal of Marriage and the Family expired, but he observed that there had been a nearly 100% increase in the number of manuscripts received in the past 6 years and an improvement in the quality of papers. The ratio of acceptance:rejection in 1975 was 1:7. A special issue of the Journal of Marriage and the Family was dedicated to the topic of “Macrosociology of the Family.” Family Coordinator also published a special issue that carried two mini-sections on “Marriage Enrichment” and “Leisure and the Family.” Another special issue focused on “Variant Family Forms” and “New Marriage Styles.” […]
Awards in 1974–75
The Osborne Award was given to Wallace Denton, Director of Family Therapy at Purdue University. Bernard Farber of Arizona State University received the Burgess Award, and Pauline G. Boss, of the University of Wisconsin (later of the University of Minnesota), received the Student Award. Runners-up to this award were Jeanete Coufal, University of Wisconsin; Helen Rytz, University of Michigan; Joan Hoffman Smith, University of Michigan; and Bonnie Staley, Colorado State University. The Distinguished Service to Families Award was given to David Mace and Vera Mace, founders of the Association of Couples in Marriage Enrichment and long-time leaders of NCFR.
Structure and Governance and Membership in 1974–75
Richard Kerckhoff reactivated the Committee on Educational Standards and Certification for Family Life Educators. A revised NCFR membership directory was published. Membership that year stood at 5,500, including 345 members in Canada. The annual income of NCFR was $185,000. Read the May 1975 Newsletter V20 N2 Read the December 1975 Newsletter V20 N3
Leadership in 1974–75
Richard K. Kerckhoff, NCFR’s 32nd President, was a professor at Purdue University. He noted that NCFR had attempted to retain its permanent core of meaning while at the same time adapting and adjusting to the rapidly changing world around it. His Presidential Address included the following observations: Middle-aged marriages may be considered “good” . . . when they are to a great extent unpainful and unexamined rather than when they are stimulating and challenging. They may be comfortable when they are easy to endure and easy to ignore. Marriage counselors have long noted that when trouble arises in middle-aged marriages, it […]
Other Activities in 1973–74
Leland Axelson, Ruth Jewson, and Richard Kerckhoff met with Sen. Walter Mondale (D-MN) and Sidney Johnson to explore ways NCFR could be helpful in relation to the hearings on “American Families: Trends and Pressures.” The Board sent a letter to Mondale expressing support for the Child and Family Services Act. Nadina R. Kavinoky, NCFR’s 8th President, died in November 1973. Her daughters characterized their mother as an enlightened woman decades before the phenomenon of women’s liberation. Her son considered her adventurous, full of surprises, challenged by anything new.
Affiliates in 1973–74
The number of regional and state affiliates continued to grow, to three regionals and 36 states, and in 1974 membership in Affiliated Councils received a rebate of $1.00 for each state member (excluding student and emeritus members) who also were members of NCFR. The following is a list of the 1974 active Councils and their presidents: Regional Councils: Rocky Mountain (CO, NM, UT, WY)—Gladys Phelan, President Southeastern (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, WV, TN, LA, MS, KY)—Kate Garner, President Tri-State (NY, NJ, CT)—Norma Newmark, President State Councils: Alabama—Ross Bell Northern California—Dorothy Seldon Orange County, California—J. I. Heidecke San Diego, CA—Robert […]
Journals and Publications in 1973–74
The NCFR Task Force on Divorce published A Divorce and Divorce Reform Handbook. Special journal issues that year were on the topics of “Aging and the Family,” edited by Felix Berardo, and “Marriage Counseling,” edited by William C. Nichols. They became available as paperbacks. In addition, a reader, Marriage and Family Therapy, containing articles from both journals, was edited by Nichols and made available for purchase. The NCFR newsletter added another column entitled: “Student News and Views.” A questionnaire sent to students drew over 600 responses and showed a great deal of student interest in the Affiliated Councils. Read the March […]
Awards in 1973–74
The Osborne Award recipient of 1974 was Mary W. Hicks of Florida State University. The Burgess Award went to Robert O. Blood, formerly of the University of Michigan and then in private practice in Ann Arbor, MI. Ruth Jewson, the Executive Officer of NCFR, became the first recipient of the Distinguished Service to Families Award. The first Certificate of Commendation was awarded to Elizabeth Noland Jackson of the Social Health Association of Indianapolis, IN. Douglas Sprenkle of Purdue University was named Outstanding Student of the Year. Certificates of Merit went to Vincent Rue of the Saint Thomas More Clinic in California; Charles Figley of Purdue University; Peter […]
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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