making connections Alumni Association offers programs, camaraderie september ushered in a new academic year and renewed activity for the BCGSSW Alumni Association. If you feel like you have lost touch with the School since graduation, now is the perfect time to reconnect. Participating in Alumni Association activities is a great way to get back in touch with the school, network with classmates, and meet incoming and current students. There are numerous events designed to benefit alumni or enable them to help new students entering the field. The Alumni Association kept up a busy pace this past year, offering several networking events, a career day (for alumni and current students), and, for the first time, mock interviews for final year students. These events are great for connecting job seekers to agencies or areas of interest. The association also responded to members’ continuing education needs with several CEU programs, including the “By Alumni For Alumni” conference in May. We worked with the Admissions Office to recruit new social work students, and we brought people together to celebrate our profession and honor our own at the annual Alumni Dinner. Such activities will form the core of our work in the upcoming year, but we are always looking to improve our programming. If you have suggestions for the association, please let us know or get involved in the planning committees. All of our events are posted on the GSSW website, http://socialwork.bc.edu/alumni/, or you can contact the Alumni Board’s liaison at the School, Susan Callaghan, at callaghs@bc.edu or call 617-552-4095 for more details. We were very pleased by the participation in last year’s events and look forward to another successful year. I hope you will take advantage of the resources offered to you as graduates of the BCGSSW. You’ll find a great community of dedicated social workers eager to help fellow alumni. — anita riley, msw ’98
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professor and former dean of gssw edmund “ed” burke died November 3, 2008, after a brief
illness. Dr. Burke’s tenure at Boston College spanned many years, beginning with his studies at the Boston College School of Social Work, where he earned an MSW in 1956. He later received a doctorate in urban planning from the University of Pittsburgh and joined the faculty of the GSSW in 1965. After serving as dean from 1971 to 1976, Dr. Burke was a member of the Domestic Policy Unit at the White House under President Jimmy Carter. In 1985 he founded the Center for Community Relations, now known as the Center for Corporate Citizenship, at Boston College. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Burke remained committed to the ideal of involving the community in the design of responses to social issues. He will be remembered for his joyful optimism and exuberant spirit. research associate professor janet “lee” bezanson died July 25. From 2002–2008, she advanced causes for people with disabilities in her roles with the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Clearinghouse; the Independent Living Research Utilization Technical Exchange for Community Living; and the Cash & Counseling program. Her expertise on self-determination for people with disabilities and her commitment to change were highly respected in academic policy and practice communities across the country. diane canning ’77 passed away in July 2008. She ran a private counseling practice and was a family therapist at McLean Hospital’s Klarman Eating Disorders Center in Belmont. She was also known for her green thumb and respect for nature. hyman litwack, The GSSW community was saddened by the April 30 death of longtime friend Hyman Litwack, whose generosity to the geriatric social work field enriched the school. For more than 40 years Mr. Litwack and his wife Betsy rented rooms to Boston College women. While Mrs. Litwack used her social work skills to help the students overcome the obstacles that
young people frequently encounter, Mr. Litwack was the “father figure” who ensured a safe, comfortable, and hospitable environment. The lasting friendships that resulted inspired the Litwacks, their son David, and his wife Mary Anne to endow a GSSW fellowship for students interested in serving the older adult population. Since 2006, more than a dozen individuals have received financial aid enabling them to pursue an MSW, a degree that otherwise might not have been within reach. louise (mcauliffe) donelan ’39, a pioneer member of its second graduating class, passed away in May at the age of 92. The only girl in a family of seven boys, Mrs. Donelan was among the first women to graduate from Boston College. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Emmanuel College before discovering her calling in social work. In her master’s degree thesis, she challenged the school of thought that children born out of wedlock should always be separated from their mothers. Later, she worked for Catholic Charities and the American Red Cross. In 1941 she married a BC alumnus with whom she raised four children. At the age of 50 she re-entered the workforce to use her skills in the adoption field.
GSSW Alumni Association President
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