Ellen Black Winston
| Ellen Black Winston | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 15th, 1903 Bryson City, North Carolina |
| Died | June 19th, 1984 |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Occupation | United States Commissioner of Welfare; Administrator and teacher, Raleigh High School |
Ellen Black Winston (August 15, 1903 – June 19, 1984) was an accomplished social worker who worked to develop systems to support those who were underprivileged in North Carolina. She became the North Carolina Commissioner of Public Welfare and the first United States Commissioner of Welfare.[1][2]
Early life and education
Ellen Black Winston was born in Bryson City, North Carolina, the daughter of Stanley Warren Black and Marianna Fischer Black. She was one of five children; however, the first child was stillborn.[3] Winston graduated from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1924, and she received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from the University of Chicago in 1928 and 1930 respectively. She also earned five honorary doctoral degrees, some from the University of North Carolina and Duke University.[1][2]
Career
Winston had many occupations throughout her illustrious career. After receiving her master's and doctoral degrees in sociology, Winston became a teacher of social science, the Dean of Girls, and the Director of Guidance in high schools in the Raleigh area from 1928 to 1934. Winston then moved on to become the director editor of technical publications on public relief in the Division of Research of the Works Progress Administration in Washington D.C. from 1934 to 1939. Afterwards, Winston became the chairman of the Department of Sociology and Economics at Meredith College, the North Carolina Commissioner of Public Welfare, and was eventually appointed, by President John F. Kennedy, as the United States Commissioner of Welfare in 1963. This position was held for a four year term until she stepped down in 1967 in order to challenge serious social welfare policy issues that were important to her, and that she believed needed to be changed. Prior to her passing once she was completely retired from social service work, Winston received one of the five Distinguished Women of North Carolina Awards.[1][2][4][5]
Personal life
Winston married Dr. Sanford R. Winston, who was the chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University for around thirty years, in 1928. They did not have any children. Winston also published many different scholarly articles, mostly related to public welfare and other social services.[1][2] Her mother, Marianna Fischer Black, also worked heavily in order to improve society. Black’s most important contribution to her community was creating a city library, which was eventually named the Marianna Black Library. Black gave away her collection of books to the public library in order for mothers and children to read.[3] After Winston’s death in 1985, her death memorial services were held at Meredith College.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Powell, William S. (1996). "Winston, Ellen Black". NC Pedia. NC Pedia. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Peebles-Wilkins, Wilma. "Winston, Ellen Black". The Social Welfare History Project. Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- 1 2 Black, III, Stanley Warren (2006). "Marianna Rosalind Fischer Black". Fontana Regional Library. Fontana Regional Library. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ↑ Gillespie, Michele; McMillen, Sally G. (2014). North Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times. Georgia: University of Georgia Press. pp. 10, 263 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Hughes, Helen MacGill (August 1975). "Women in Academic Sociology, 1925-75". Sociology Focus. 8 (3) – via JSTOR.