Elmina R. Lucke | |
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| Born | Elmina Rose Lucke (1889-12-06)December 6, 1889 |
| Died | October 31, 1987(1987-10-31) (aged 97) |
| Occupation(s) | educator, Social worker |
| Years active | 1912-1969 |
| Known for | establishing the first master's degree program for social work in Asia |
Elmina Rose Lucke (December 6, 1889 – October 31, 1987) was anAmerican educator, social worker and international relations expert. After graduating fromOberlin College, she taught high school in Ohio and worked on social service projects before earning her doctorate in International Law and Relations fromColumbia University. From 1927 to 1946, she taught at the Teachers College of Columbia making numerous trips abroad to study social work. In 1946, she moved to India to found the first master's degree program in Asia and second school of social work in the country, serving as its director for the next three years. Between 1950 and 1955, she served as a consultant to social work schools in Cairo,Egypt andPakistan. From 1959 to 1965, she served as a delegate to the United Nations for various women's groups, presenting proposals on issues which impacted women. She was honored by the United Nations for her work in international relations in 1975 and was inducted into theMichigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1986.
Elmina Rose Lucke was born on December 6, 1889, inCarleton, Michigan[1] to Carrie (née Strait) and Jacob J. Lucke.[2][3] Both of Lucke's parents weresecond generation German immigrants, whose families had been granted land bordering theWestern Reserve in lower Michigan.[4] Her father was acattleman and livestock trader, while her mother raised Lucke and her younger brother, Ralph, encouraging them in their education.[2][5] Elmina, named after a character in the bookJohn Bull, Uncle Sam and Johnny Crapaud[6] began her education in aone-room schoolhouse before completing her high school education at Central High School inToledo, Ohio, in 1908.[7][8] Lucke initially began her quest for a university degree atSmith College, but after difficulties in the living and enrollment process, decided to attendOberlin College,[9] from where she graduatedPhi Beta Kappa in 1912.[1]
Upon completion of her studies, Lucke returned to Carleton and helped found the first high school in the village, before enrolling in theUniversity of Berlin to continue her education. Her graduate study award was eliminated because of the outbreak ofWorld War I and Lucke returned to the states in 1914.[1] Between 1914 and 1917, she worked as a high school teacher atScott High School in Toledo. Beginning in 1917, Lucke was employed in several governmental social service posts, working as a director of services for theUnited States Children's Bureau ofGary, Indiana, and theBureau of Labor Statistics as asocial research surveyor in Kansas and Oklahoma through 1919. Simultaneously, she attended courses at theUniversity of Chicago in social work.[8]
Under the auspices of theNational Board of theYWCA, Lucke founded the Detroit International Institute in 1919. The organization aimed to provide social services to the half-million recent immigrants in theDetroit metropolitan area. Lucke served as the director for the first five years of the Institute's history,[1][8] hiring staff speaking the 27 different languages necessary to communicate with their clients.[10] She then returned to teaching high school in 1923. Based on her experience in international relations, she was accepted in 1926 toColumbia University's graduate program in International Law and Relations, as one of the first two women to enter the specialty.[1][8] Earning herMaster of Arts in 1927, Lucke was hired to teach at the Lincoln School ofTeachers College, Columbia University,[1] which also allowed her to pursue the research which she needed to complete a PhD.[11] Between August 1930 and August 1931, Lucke traveled throughout Asia,[12] conducting research and teaching which was enabled through funding provided by theAmerican Historical Association.[8] She returned to Columbia and taught until 1946.[13][14] Simultaneously from 1937, she served on the national board of the American Council of Nationalities Service[1] and was affiliated as an education consultant and social welfare advisor to theUnited Nations from its founding in 1945.[15]
In 1946, Lucke took asabbatical from Columbia at the request of the YWCA to found a graduate program for social work in India.[13][14] At the time, there was one school of social work in India, located inMadras (now known as Chennai). The school's alumni, averaging about 40 graduates per year, were insufficient to provide sufficient service for the population and had to restrict their work to urban areas with high need. Lucke was hired as an advisor to develop a second school, which would also offer a master's program.[1][14] For the first year, the school operated fromBombay (now Mumbai), visiting various regions to assess the needs throughout the country, speaking with those working in institutions, as well as conducting field work.[16] On the eve of the country'sIndependence from Britain, the school, which had been intended to serveBurma (now Myanmar),Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and India, found itself also servingPakistan and dealing with rioting as they moved to the new facility inDelhi.[14][16] Lucke remained in India until 1949, as director of the school which became affiliated with theUniversity of Delhi,[1] and the first school in Asia to grant master's degrees in social work.[17]
In 1950, Lucke went to Cairo as aFulbright Scholar to assist in developing social work schools. Simultaneously, she worked as a consultant to thePoint Four Program, launched by PresidentTruman,[1][8] which provided technical support to developing nations.[18] Between 1952 and 1954, she developed an educational curriculum for social work in Pakistan under the direction of theUnited Nations Technical Assistance Program.[1] Returning to the United States in 1955, Lucke was appointed to the Lincoln School's Board of Trustees[8] and the following year was granted aDoctor of humane letters degree from Oberlin College.[1]
In 1959, theInternational Federation of University Women (IFUW) appointed Lucke as the organization's representative to the United Nations.[8] In 1964, she served as a delegate of the IFUW to thePan-Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association (PPSEAWA) Tonga Conference, and attended seminars in Brisbane and Melbourne. The following year, she was appointed by PPSEAWA as its delegate to the United Nations, attending the U.N. Conference on Women in Teheran, where she presented a draft on issues facing women. In 1969, she resigned from the American Council of Nationalities Service and attempted to retire in Florida.[8][17] Lucke was honored by the United Nations in 1975, for her work[19] which was "marked by a sensitivity to indigenous people and their culture and a deep understanding of social structures and issues".[1] She was inducted into theMichigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 for her roles in developing international relations and social work.[20] That same year,Unforgettable Memories, a book printed in India was published about her time in the country, as a diary of her experiences. Unsatisfied with the portrayal,[21] her memoirsRemembering at eighty eight: Letters I should have written were published the following year.[22][1]
Lucke died on October 31, 1987, inSarasota, Florida.[1][8] Her papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection, Women's History Archive atSmith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.[8]Delhi School of Social Work has instituted an award in her memory which is awarded annually to the student who scores highest marks in Field Work practicum of Social Work curriculum at postgraduate level.
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