I joined the School of Social work as a faculty member on December 1, 1968, and retired on June 1, 1996. Being a faculty member at this school is the highlight of my career. My heartfelt blessings to you and everyone at the SSW, both past and present.
The year was 1966. My wife Jane and I were living in Huntsville, AL then and I was the executive director of a relatively new family counseling agency. Mrs. Roscoe Roberts was one of the agency’s board members. The Alabama Legislature was in session when Mrs. Roberts called me stating that her husband, Roscoe Roberts, had called her asking if she knew anything about a bill that was to be introduced in the state legislature to establish a school of social work at The University of Alabama. I told her I didn’t but I knew a person who was on the committee for that purpose and I would call her, which I did. Her name was Mary Margaret Carr and she was executive director of the family counseling agency in Birmingham, Alabama.
Mary Margaret told me that their committee had been told by a state legislator that they should wait until the next legislative session to present that request. I called Mrs. Roberts back and relayed this information. She called Roscoe to give him this information and he told her that the request must be submitted during the present legislative session or it would be “dead on arrival” in the next legislative session. I then called Mary Margaret to give her this information. She had doubts about the committee getting everything together in such a short period of time since the current legislative session would be over in about two weeks. But the committee was able to perform a miracle and get everything together and presented to the appropriate committee of the state legislature.
On the day the bill to establish the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama was to be presented to the full legislature, all the committee members were present and personally handed each state legislator a pink flower as they came into the chamber. And then another miracle occurred. When the legislators voted on the bill it was approved by a unanimous vote.
Dr. Howard Gundy was brought on board as the school’s founding dean and he quickly assembled the initial faculty group. Dr. Gundy was the perfect person as the founding dean and the School of Social Work was accredited on the initial accreditation visit. The rest is now history. The first graduates finished their MSW Degree in 1969. Our graduates have had an influence and touched the lives of people literally over the world.
I joined the School of Social work as a faculty member on December 1, 1968, and retired on June 1, 1996. Being a faculty member at this school is the highlight of my career. My heartfelt blessings to you and everyone at the SSW, both past and present.
Jerry Eure, former faculty member