Ron Federico

"In my opinion, it is the pleasant responsibility of those who knew Ron to share information and insights about him. Although Ron would be embarrassed by and resist my sharing memories of him, he also encouraged me to speak my mind."  So, here goes.

"I knew Ron in several capacities.  In the dedication to SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIETY, I wrote: " To Ronald Charles Federico for always providing direction and support to me as colleague, companion, and counsel in my efforts to study and write about social work."  This phrase best summarizes who Ron was to me and to many others.

"Ron and I were colleagues in two BSW programs and  also were partners, living together for several years in the early 1980s.  I met Ron in l978, when I was teaching at Llong Beach State.  Ron and Betty Baer were finishing up their work on their baccalaureate competencies project.  I attended a feedback session they had arranged in Seattle. I did not know that Ron had written the HBSE material, which I heavily criticized to him and in several work groups.  Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time getting to know one another during those few days in Seattle.  He and Betty went on to Minneapolis for their next meeting, after which Ron visited me in Los Angeles.  We decided to  live together.  After a year apart, filled with time spent together in New York and the Caribbean, I got a job at the University of Cincinnati, School of Social Work, where Ron headed the BSW program.  After that we moved to New York, where Ron was based at Iona College, working  in the Westchester Social Work Education Consortium, with Betty.  I got a job about a year later in the Consortium at Mercy College's Bronx Center.  During those years together Ron wrote several books, served BPD tirelessly, cared for his mother and her sisters, and spent time with his daughters, including going on cruises with them.  He loved ships and cars (he owned "zillions"). He also loved trains and had a huge collection of train memorabilia, such as china and silver, which he used when he entertained.  Ron even published an article on trains.  He also danced--ballet.  As with many of his enthusiasms, he came to ballet later than others did, while a Ph.D. student at Northwestern.  His dissertation in sociology was on ballet as an occupation.  His first text was an introduction to sociology.  Early in his academic career he joined others in creating several of the basic texts that came to be used in educating BSW students.  His social welfare and HBSE texts were widely used in programs across the country.

"Ron became ill (HIV) after he and I separated.  Although I moved to jobs at Grambling, Delaware, and Nevada while he remained in New York, Ron continued as a colleague and counsel to me until his death, helping me
with writing projects and job decisions.    I frequently visited Ron and his partner in New York and Florida, where he retired.  When I accepted CSWE's recent achievement award for him at the APM (he was too ill to attend), I was overwhelmed by feelings, those of others as well as my own.

"I will always miss him and remember him not only for his great achievements in BSW education, but because of who he was as a person. He was principled, worked for and supported others constantly, elicited the best out of all of us, possessed  a sense of humor, talked in a candid fashion, and was honest with himself and others.  If he liked someone, he was accepting of their inadequacies (although he was also demanding); if he did not like someone, beware. To me he was a great person, not a saint. In other words, he was a great role model.

"I truly hope all of us who respected and loved him will keep his memory alive.  If anyone is interested, I have dozens of stories I would love to share. Please be in touch, thanks for listening, and enjoy  reading the BPD lectures given in his honor."

Dean Pierce

* Please select from the links below to see Memorial Lectures from past conferences. Lectures are not available for the following years, 1995, 1996, 2007, and 2008