Josephine Harris Stewart Papers

Collection

Identifier: 2000-001

Staff Only

The collection arrived in little discernable order, and the processor in consultation with the archivist has imposed an order. The collection is arranged primarily in chronological order and is divided into five series. Series 2-4 are based upon chronological and geographical divisions in Stewart's life: Pre-West Virginia University, West Virginia University, and Houston. Series 1, Personal, contains information not easily assigned to the other series, and which spans most of Stewart's life. Series 5, Ephemera, contains items such as tote bags, posters, newspaper clippings, and plaques.

Dates

1920-2000

Creator

Stewart, Josephine Harris (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access:

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use:

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

12.00 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Biographical Information:

Josephine Harris Stewart was a prominent social worker and activist who is recognized as a pioneer in the field of social group work. She was born June 9, 1924 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is of Hungarian Jewish descent. She received a bachelor of science degree in education in 1945 from the University of Cincinnati Teachers College. Following graduation, she enlisted in the Women's Army Corps and was assigned as an occupational counselor in Des Moines, Iowa, until her discharge in September 1946. She graduated in 1949 from the University of Pittsburgh with a master of social work degree, with a specialization in social group work. In 1960 she earned an advanced curriculum certificate in community organization from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed all the requirements, except for the dissertation, for a doctoral degree in social work.

Stewart's early career encompassed a number of jobs in the social work field, including teaching and social work practice at public and private social welfare agencies and hospitals. She was a social group worker at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, where she was the first social group worker in Kansas, the LaRue D. Carter Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she served as psychiatric social work supervisor, and the Rollman Institute of Psychiatry in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was a psychiatric social work educational supervisor. She was also a family counselor at Jewish Family Service of Philadelphia. Her teaching positions include serving as field work instructor and lecturer in social group work at Indiana University and lecturer in social welfare and field work consultant at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1964 to 1975, Stewart was an assistant professor and lecturer at West Virginia University, where she taught a number of social work courses. In 1975 she moved to Houston, where she was the first social worker hired at Methodist Hospital. She retired from Methodist shortly before her death from lung cancer on September 26, 1990.

Stewart was an activist for gay/lesbian and women's issues, particularly during her years in Houston. She was a charter member of the National Association of Social Workers and served the organization as national chairman on gay/lesbian issues during the 1980s. Stewart was also a co-founder of the Houston Area Women's Center.

Acquisition Information:

Donated by Margaret Hardeman-Muye, 2000

Related Materials:

Harris County Women’s Political Caucus Records (http://archon.lib.uh.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=464)

Houston Area Women's Center Records (http://archon.lib.uh.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=351)

Houston Area Women's Center Photographs (http://archon.lib.uh.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=349)

Houston Area Women's Center Videos (http://archon.lib.uh.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=350)