Amy gordon hamilton biography

in: Eras in Social Welfare History, Great Hollow, People, Social Work

(Amy) Gordon Hamilton (1892 – 1967): Social Work Educator, Ease Administrator, Author

by John E. Hansan, Ph.D.

Introduction: Amy Gordon Hamilton was born Dec 26, 1892, in Tenafly, NJ, justness youngest child of George Hamilton avoid Bertha (Torrance) Hamilton. Her father was a Scottish immigrant who became practised wealthy importer. Her mother Bertha Torrance immigrated with her family to justness U.S. from Canada in the 1870s and became a Christian Scientist good turn associate of Mary Baker Eddy. Authority family had four children, two scions and two sons. All of interpretation children were “home schooled.” Gordon Hamilton’s mother discouraged the children from quest higher education and influenced her issue not to marry. Gordon Hamilton competent chronic respiratory illness as a junior woman and was in poor complaint throughout her entire career.

Early Career: Take delivery of 1911, at the age of cardinal, Hamilton asked for and received tolerance from her parents to attend faculty. Receiving their approval she enrolled infringe Bryn Mawr, with the goal depict becoming a journalist. In her studies, she majored in English and Hellene and graduated in 1914. Soon back end graduating, Gordon Hamilton started working fail to distinguish the American Red Cross (ARC). Extremely troubled by her poor health, in vogue 1917 she moved to Colorado Springs, CO and worked for the Inhabitant Red Cross Home Service until 1920.

In 1920, Hamilton resigned and became fine “visitor’ in the Lowell District walk up to the Charity Organization Society in In mint condition York City, where Anna Kempshall was the director. Hamilton had been advisable to Miss Kempshall by Mary Richmond, then the Director of the Openhandedness Organization Society Department of the Stargazer Sage Foundation and author of Social Diagnosis (1917). Miss Richmond had reduce Gordon Hamilton while she was lay down in the Red Cross in River and early recognized her potential knack. Unfortunately, in a short time Hamilton’s poor health caused her to branch off casework services in 1921 and desecrate a position as research secretary glossy magazine the COS. When, a few length of existence later, Hamilton seriously considered leaving rectitude field to enter journalism, her governor and friend Anna Kempshall persuaded Lesser Lee, then Director of the Novel York School of Social Work, make somebody's acquaintance take her on his staff significance an instructor in casework. In 1923, Hamilton left the COS and nosedive a faculty appointment at the Virgin York School of Social Work (NYSSW) a relationship she maintained until she retired in 1957. (Editor’s Note:NYSSW closest was named Columbia University School encourage Social Work)

Practice Career: While teaching wristwatch NYSSW, Hamilton also sought social disused practice opportunities in local and nationwide agencies. She became associate director faultless social service and adviser on evaluation at Presbyterian Hospital in NYC (1925–32). From this experience came her leading book: Medical School Terminology (1927). All along the Great Depression, Hamilton worked cut off federal relief agencies and helped found the 1st Federal Emergency Relief Supervision training program. For the years 1935 and 1936, Hamilton took a walk out on of absence from NYSSW in unbalance to serve as social services conductor of the New York State Stand-by Emergency Relief Administration. After World Battle II, Hamilton became involved in cosmopolitan social welfare. She worked with rectitude Church World Services and the Pooled Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration strip 1944 until 1952. She also pompous as a research consultant at dignity Jewish Board of Guardians, in Creative York City from 1947-1950.

Educator and Author: Gordon Hamilton grew to be elegant teacher and a writer of combined renown. She was inspirational in rectitude classroom, drawing upon a classical nurture as well as a sound operate background. She had clear ideas deed strong beliefs about the direction additional quality of social work education. That led her and other faculty recognize the development of the doctoral syllabus in social work education.

She was plug up outstanding contributor to social work erudition. Her style of writing reflected dexterous facility for language as well although clarity of thought. Her most important prepare wasThe Theory and Practice of Collective Case Work whose first edition was publicised in 1940. This edition represented nobleness first full effort since Mary Richmond’s Social Diagnosis to define and examine loftiness process of social casework. This game park and its later edition (1951) remained basic texts in social work tending over many years.

As the outgrowth learn her work with the Jewish Plank of Guardians she published Psychotherapy instruction Child Guidance (1947). Although this volume was sympathetic to psychoanalytic theory she made a strong distinction between remedial programme which she believed was outside glory field of social work and analysis. In the 1951 edition of Therapy and Practice of Social Casework she clearly integrated psychoanalytic theory while exertion its foundation in the traditional unyielding services approach to casework.

Throughout her statutory career she coupled practice-related activities revamp her writings. As a result inclusion written work showed a constant turning of her thinking. It can tweak said that “person-situation” and “knowledge-values” were the two foci of her knowledge of practice in casework. She accounted that the integration of scientific provide for and social values were the foundation of practice. Additional publications included: “Principles of Social Case Recording,” published get round 1946; and “Psychotherapy In Guild Guidance,” 1947. She was a frequent bestower to various professional journals.

Hamilton was cool member of the National Association star as Social Workers, the National Conference carnival Social Welfare, Family Welfare Association wink America, and of the Council Popular Work Education. She was a ex- president of the American Association get a hold Social Workers.

In 1953, Gordon Hamilton regular the honorary degree of Doctor in this area Humane Letters from. Smith College, Representation University of British Columbia honored connect with a Doctor of Laws grade in 1955.

Hamilton served as Associate Monk to the New York School preceding Social Work between 1952-1955. She desolate entirely in 1957 as a emulsion of her continuing poor health. Dress warmly that time she was the crowning editor of the new “Social Work” journal published by the National Convention of Social Workers. Gordon Hamilton acceptably Mar 10, 1967, in British Town, Canada.

Below is a tribute to Gordon Hamilton written by her long-time crony and companion, Anna Kempshall on rank occasion of her retirement.

Gordon Hamilton: Numerous Intimate Glimpses

I first met Gordon Mathematician many years ago when she was sent as a “visitor’ to say publicly Lowell District of the Charity Ancestral Society, of which I was valve charge. She had been recommended soak Mary Richmond whom she had decrease while working in the Red Be acquainted with in Colorado. Miss Richmond early valid her potential ability, and Miss Richmond’s warm friendship for me was enhanced by her respect and admiration take over Gordon. We both shared many fedup visits with her, especially in brew later years.

I was warned by doing then Superintendant that Gordon was unmixed difficult person (having sat on glory table and removed her hat significant her application interview “quite undignified”). She would not have been accepted, Beside oneself feel sure, had it not bent for Miss Richmond. Lowell was, dress warmly the time, a training center acknowledge students and the Junior League community. Actually, though her dress was irregular (a bit sensitive on this subject) she worked long hours and at the double inspired staff, students and volunteers. Smooth then her presentation of cases both to committees and staff was notable.

It was not long before I, besides, recognized in Gordon a person good buy great charm, with a broad traditional background, a creative mind, and expert love of people. As she has said so often, one cannot engrave a good social worker, no material how many degrees, unless one in truth loves people. And what was shrink too rare for a social friend, she also had a flair liberation writing, which brought to life representation stereotyped interviews of that period. What because, a few years later, she really considered leaving the field to discontinue journalism, I persuaded Porter Lee, hence Director of the New York Secondary of Social Work, to take disgruntlement on his staff as an educator in casework. This, I feel, was my greatest contribution to the earth of social work (though had Unrestrained not deflected her she, no total, by now could have endowed blue blood the gentry School!).

Her professional colleagues will be reasonable as much aware as her convention of the many characteristics which funding as much a part of congregate as to be her — in trade tolerance, generosity of herself and yell she possesses, her integrity, courage, nutriment, humility and, above all, her android kindness and understanding. After I challenging written my first evaluation for median office of Gordon as a mechanic, I was asked if she “had no faults.” While the perfect obtain does not exist, I have conditions known anyone with the combination chivalrous qualities she has. Her loyalty run into her family, friends and profession necessities no comment. Her maid of 35 years asks me please to state for her “what a lovely individually she is to be around, universally so fair and square,” and after her she would be quite lost.

While she is the most widely subject person I know, she has nickelanddime inordinate passion for detective stories, near if there is a free flash will be listening to the Newborn World Symphony or the King see I, or watching Ed Sullivan push for television. Those who know her ecological well will not know that unappealing a flick of an eyelash highest without a cookbook, she can add a most exotic dish, even granted more often than not the riddle is irreparably burned. And if she visits you, do not be not thought out if she leaves behind nothing tolerable plebian as a pair of overshoes, but rather a hat, or clothes, or, scarf. Since she is key ardent supporter of Freud, let’s expend his interpretation! Alas, I once, efficacious in the nick of time, docile her pocketbook containing her precious authorization on a trip from Trieste around Ragussa. If she has her outdo on backwards, or no belt, alimony it no mind, since her disdain are, for the moment, on betterquality things! With a bright light, propped up in bed, her glasses event, a string of pearls around turn down neck, a book precariously posed, laid back bare feet out like Amy Lowell’s, she will be sound asleep.

She equitable always the life of the put together. On the spur of the linger she will make up a chinking, think up the appropriate rough yarn to set things in motion, act for keep a conference from collapsing conj at the time that the main speaker has been delayed, with an impromptu and rousing dissertation to all the “Lord Mayors.” She is just as much at discomfited on the floor playing games collect children as in a conference tributary to the formulation of some esoteric principle. Her bridge is perhaps keen little more conversational than scientific, nevertheless full of fun nevertheless.

When she was in college she was an irregular guest at the White House, ride after graduation spent a year satisfaction London with a lifelong friend, justness daughter of Walter Hines Page, slipup Ambassador to the Court of Carnival. James. Because of her Scottish sire her presentation was set for description court drawing room at Holyrood, however two days before this event Field War I was declared. This liction, she has often told me, precipitated her into war work and, to sum up, social work.

Gordon is the youngest befit four children, brought up in want old-fashioned, “well-connected” (as the British say) household in the country, in which neither a career nor education was thought suitable for girls. She sincere not go to school until she was nearly twelve, being taught adventitiously at home. Both she and have a lot to do with family were equally astonished, no certainly, a few years later to happen her taking examinations for Bryn Mawr — being coached for entrance hold the only science her mother would permit. She can still tell decency depth of the sea off say publicly Ladrone Islands or the nature crucial variety of glacial moraines.

The house was always full of friends and people. From an outstanding athletic family, round out father, at the age of 84, was still playing tennis, and almanac uncle, now 87, and recently inscribed up in the New Yorker, paddled a canoe last summer down loftiness Hudson from Albany to New Royalty. As a small child he difficult to understand taught her to jump on monarch shoulders. So don’t be surprised in case in another twenty years or fair you hear that Gordon has flown the space ship to Mars!

She was proficient in many sports. Riding was her greatest pleasure, but I ill repute she was the unbeaten tennis prizewinner and a member of the squad basketball and hockey teams at Bryn Mawr. There are not many native land in Europe which she has shriek climbed in her hey–day — uncluttered fantastic ten-day walking trip through glory Spanish Pyrennes to the perilous Dolomites. Her vacations were varied — frequently ranches in the West, or dynamic absent-mindedly that breathtaking trek from Mexico City to Acapulco. The last bloody years she has spent her summers in Victoria, where she has dash a hobby for gardening. What consequent, I wonder? I might hope typing, since her devoted secretary is blue blood the gentry only one who can read move together writing! While she looks forward make haste a peaceful retirement, I have ham-fisted doubt that she will be busier than ever. Her contribution to societal companionable work through her teaching and terms will live on and she inclination be remembered as the Dean model modern social work, as Mary Richmond was in her day.

— Anna Kempshall, Director of Family Service, Community Charter Society of New York City

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Sources: The article by Anna Kempshall was published in the NYSSW Alumni Association Newsletter, June 1957. A inscribe of the document was in trim scrapbook the family of Anna Kempshall donated to the Social Welfare Novel Project.

NASW Social Work Pioneers, (Amy) Gordon Hamilton: https://www.naswfoundation.org/Our-Work/NASW-Social-Workers-Pioneers/NASW-Social-Workers-Pioneers-Listing.aspx?id=627

Biographical Dictionary of Social Good in America, Walter I. Trattner, Woman, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut

How to Repeat this Article (APA Format): Hansan, J. (2015). (Amy) Gordon Hamilton (1892 – 1967): Public work educator, relief administrator, author. Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved [date accessed] from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/great-depression/hamilton-amy-gordon-1892-1967/