Eveline Mabel Burns Essay, Research Paper

As a social worker, one is intertwined in the broad realm of Social Welfare. One aspect that makes up Social Welfare is our country?s Social Security System. Without Social Security, many retired citizens of our country would not have any source of income. One person in this country?s history mostly responsible for devising the plan of Social Security is Eveline Mabel Burns. Burns worked as a social economist throughout her life, and in the process, created what we all know as the Social Security System.

Eveline Mabel Burns was born in London, England, on March 16, 1900. She later attended the London School of Economics where she received a B.S. in 1920 and her Ph. D. in 1926 (NASW 1). Upon earning her doctorate, Burns was awarded the Adam Smith Medal for exceptional economic research. It was also there that she met Arthur R. Burns, whom she later married. The couple moved to the United States in 1926 when they were awarded a Laura Spellman Rockefeller Fellowship (NYTimes 1). Burns joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1928 and taught there until her retirement in 1967 (NASW 1).

Starting in 1946, Burns taught in Columbia University?s School of Social Work. There she helped develop the doctoral programs in social work and served as the program?s first chairperson. She is credited with being a key figure in the creation of social policy studies in the United States.

During her time at Columbia University, she had quite an amazing life full of accomplishments. In 1934 she became a staff member of the Presidential Committee on Economic Security under President Franklin D. Roosevelt (EB 1). There she helped develop the Social Security Act as it was eventually passed by Congress in 1935. Later in life she was director of research for the Committee on Long-Range Work and Relief Policies of the National Resources Planning Board. This board published a report in 1942 that shaped the public assistance and work programs as they developed in the 1940?s (NASW 1). In 1958 and 1959, Burns was an American Delegate to the International conference on Social Work in Tokyo. Also, she was the president of the National Conference on Social Welfare from 1957 to 1958, and Vice President of the American Public Health Association from 1969 to 1970. Burns was also active in the American Association of University Professors, the American Association of University Women, and the Consumer?s League. Burns also served as a consultant of many Government agencies (NASW 2).

Eveline Burns received many awards and honors for her contributions to the social welfare of America. In 1964 she was awarded a Florina Lasker Social Work Award for being an outstanding authority on social security systems throughout the world. 1968 brought Burns a Blanche Ittlesson Award for the contributions she made to social planning. Burns also received many honorary degrees and was also elected an honorary fellow at the London School of Economics.

During her life, Eveline Burns published many writings. In 1936, she published ?Toward Social Security?. This book was designed to explain the new Social Security to the average person. Ten years later, she published ?The American Social Security System? (Justice 4). In 1956, Burns published ?Social Security and Public Policy?. This became the basic textbook in the field of social-security analysis. In 1969, her contributions were honored in a collection of essays entitled ?Social Security in International Perspective: Essays in Honor of Eveline M. Burns? (NYTimes 1).

Throughout her life, Eveline Mabel Burns did a lot for this country by changing the social welfare of the United States. By publishing books, working under the president, and most importantly, implementing a workable Social Security system, she helped change the face of America.

Works Cited

?Burns, Eveline M..”.Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 1999. http://women.eb.com/women/articles/Burns_Evline.html

Longman, Phillip. “Justice Between Generations.” The Atlantic Online.

June 1985.

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/96may/aging/longm.htm.

Douglas, Carlyle C.. “Dr. Eveline Burns, Who Helped Shape Social Security, Dies.” New York Times. 6 September 1985. Page 6B.

NASW. “Eveline Burns 1900-1985.” Social Work Pioneers.

http://socialworkers.org/NASW/piopeop/pioburn.htm