ShantaeBpy: adding initial page w/ refs

2026-02-21T02:44:55Z

adding initial page w/ refs

New page

{{Short description|American educator and social worker}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Elmina R. Lucke
| image = Elmina_Rose_Lucke.jpg
| alt = 
| caption =
| birth_name = Elmina Rose Lucke
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|12|06}}
| birth_place = [[Carleton, Michigan]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|10|31|1889|12|06}}
| death_place = [[Sarasota, Florida]]
| other_names =
| occupation = educator, Social worker
| years_active = 1912-1969
| known_for = establishing the first master's degree program for social work in Asia
| notable_works =
}}

'''Elmina Rose Lucke''' (December 6, 1889 – October 31, 1987) was an [[Americans|American]] educator, social worker and international relations expert. After graduating from [[Oberlin College]], she taught high school in Ohio and worked on social service projects before earning her doctorate in International Law and Relations from [[Columbia 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]] and [[Pakistan]]. 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 the [[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1986.

==Early life==
Elmina Rose Lucke was born on December 6, 1889, in [[Carleton, Michigan]]{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} to Carrie (née Strait) and Jacob J. Lucke.{{sfn|U. S. Census|1910|p=8A}}{{sfn|Ohio Death Records|1941}} Both of Lucke's parents were [[Second-generation immigrants in the United States|second generation German immigrants]], whose families had been granted land bordering the [[Connecticut Western Reserve|Western Reserve]] in lower Michigan.{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=4}} Her father was a [[cattleman]] and livestock trader, while her mother raised Lucke and her younger brother, Ralph, encouraging them in their education.{{sfn|U. S. Census|1910|p=8A}}{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=5}} Elmina, named after a character in the book ''John Bull, Uncle Sam and Johnny Crapaud''{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=6}} began her education in a [[one-room school]]house before completing her high school education at Central High School in [[Toledo, Ohio]], in 1908.{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|pp=7-8}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} Lucke initially began her quest for a university degree at [[Smith College]], but after difficulties in the living and enrollment process, decided to attend [[Oberlin College]],{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=10}} from where she graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1912.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}

==Career==
Upon completion of her studies, Lucke returned to Carleton and helped found the first high school in the village, before enrolling in the [[University of Berlin]] to continue her education. Her graduate study award was eliminated because of the outbreak of [[World War I]] and Lucke returned to the states in 1914.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} Between 1914 and 1917, she worked as a high school teacher at [[Scott High School (Ohio)|Scott High School]] in Toledo. Beginning in 1917, Lucke was employed in several governmental social service posts, working as a director of services for the [[United States Children's Bureau]] of [[Gary, Indiana]], and the [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] as a [[Survey (human research)|social research surveyor]] in Kansas and Oklahoma through 1919. Simultaneously, she attended courses at the [[University of Chicago]] in social work.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}}

Under the auspices of the [[YWCA USA|National Board]] of the [[YWCA]], Lucke founded the Detroit International Institute in 1919. The organization aimed to provide social services to the half-million recent immigrants in the [[Detroit metropolitan area]]. Lucke served as the director for the first five years of the Institute's history,{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} hiring staff speaking the 27 different languages necessary to communicate with their clients.{{sfn|Kaplan|1986|p=4B}} She then returned to teaching high school in 1923. Based on her experience in international relations, she was accepted in 1926 to [[Columbia University]]'s graduate program in International Law and Relations, as one of the first two women to enter the specialty.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} Earning her [[Master of Arts]] in 1927, Lucke was hired to teach at the Lincoln School of [[Teachers College, Columbia University]],{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} which also allowed her to pursue the research which she needed to complete a PhD.{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|pp=23-24}} Between August 1930 and August 1931, Lucke traveled throughout Asia,{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|pp=24-25}} conducting research and teaching which was enabled through funding provided by the [[American Historical Association]].{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} She returned to Columbia and taught until 1946.{{sfn|Campbell|1949|p=5}}{{sfn|King|1949|p=24}} Simultaneously from 1937, she served on the national board of the American Council of Nationalities Service{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} and was affiliated as an education consultant and social welfare advisor to the [[United Nations]] from its founding in 1945.{{sfn|''The Bristol Daily Courier''|1959|p=9}}

In 1946, Lucke took a [[sabbatical]] from Columbia at the request of the YWCA to found a graduate program for social work in India.{{sfn|Campbell|1949|p=5}}{{sfn|King|1949|p=24}} At the time, there was one school of social work in India, located in [[Madras]] (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.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}{{sfn|King|1949|p=24}} For the first year, the school operated from [[Bombay]] (now Mumbai), visiting various regions to assess the needs throughout the country, speaking with those working in institutions, as well as conducting field work.{{sfn|''The Women's Press''|1949|p=1}} On the eve of the country's [[Partition of India|Independence from Britain]], the school, which had been intended to serve [[Burma]] (now Myanmar), [[Ceylon]] (now Sri Lanka) and India, found itself also serving [[Pakistan]] and dealing with rioting as they moved to the new facility in [[Delhi]].{{sfn|King|1949|p=24}}{{sfn|''The Women's Press''|1949|p=1}} Lucke remained in India until 1949, as director of the school which became affiliated with the [[University of Delhi]],{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} and the first school in Asia to grant master's degrees in social work.{{sfn|''The Age''|1964|p=16}}

In 1950, Lucke went to Cairo as a [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright Scholar]] to assist in developing social work schools. Simultaneously, she worked as a consultant to the [[Point Four Program]], launched by President [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]],{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} which provided technical support to developing nations.{{sfn|Paterson|1972–1973|pp=119–120}} Between 1952 and 1954, she developed an educational curriculum for social work in Pakistan under the direction of the [[Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance|United Nations Technical Assistance Program]].{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} Returning to the United States in 1955, Lucke was appointed to the Lincoln School's Board of Trustees{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} and the following year was granted a [[Doctor of humane letters]] degree from Oberlin College.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}

In 1959, the [[International Federation of University Women]] (IFUW) appointed Lucke as the organization's representative to the United Nations.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} In 1964, she served as a delegate of the IFUW to the [[Pan-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.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}}{{sfn|''The Age''|1964|p=16}} Lucke was honored by the United Nations in 1975, for her work{{sfn|Perry|1975|p=61}} which was "marked by a sensitivity to indigenous people and their culture and a deep understanding of social structures and issues".{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}} She was inducted into the [[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1986 for her roles in developing international relations and social work.{{sfn|Kaplan|1986|pp=1B, 4B}} 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,{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=1}} her memoirs ''Remembering at eighty eight: Letters I should have written'' were published the following year.{{sfn|Van Voris|1986|p=38}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}

==Death and legacy==
Lucke died on October 31, 1987, in [[Sarasota, Florida]].{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|1988|p=49}}{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} Her papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection, Women's History Archive at [[Smith College]] in Northampton, Massachusetts.{{sfn|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}} [[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.

== References ==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=Naomi|title=Milady Muncie|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975713/campbell_naomi_milady_muncie_the/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Star Press]]|date=July 18, 1949|location=Muncie, Indiana|page=5|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite news|last1=Kaplan|first1=Deborah|title=Out of the garden and into the action (pt 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975021/detroit_free_press/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Detroit Free Press]]|date=October 23, 1986|location=Detroit, Michigan|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975021/detroit_free_press/ 1B], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975046/detroit_free_press/ 4B]|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Nancy|title=Amid Unrest, Rioting India Opens New School, Visitor Tells YW Here|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975693/daily_press/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|The Daily Press]]|date=November 20, 1949|location=Newport News, Virginia|page=24|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Paterson|first1=Thomas G.|title=Foreign Aid under Wraps: The Point Four Program|journal=[[The Wisconsin Magazine of History]]|date=Winter 1972–1973|volume=56|issue=2|pages=119–126|jstor=4634774|publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society|location=Madison, Wisconsin|issn=0043-6534}}
*{{cite news|last1=Perry|first1=Wanda|title=Nations' festival drew continuous large crowds|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975563/tampa_bay_times/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Tampa Bay Times]]|date=October 27, 1975|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|page=61|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite web|last1=Van Voris|first1=Jacqueline|title=Transcript of Interview with Elmina Lucke at her Home in Sarasota, Florida|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7cbibliographic_details%7c1462322|website=Women and Social Movements|publisher=Sophia Smith Collection: Women's History Archive|access-date=4 March 2018|location=Northampton, Massachusetts|date=1986|postscript=. Elmina Rose Lucke Papers, 1897-1987: Archival transcript.|url-access=subscription |via=[[Alexander Street Press]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|U. S. Census|1910}}|author=|title=1910 US Federal Census: Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRNB-SPW?i=14&cc=1727033|website=FamilySearch|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration|access-date=4 March 2018|location=Washington, D. C.|page=8A|date=April 30, 1910|id=NARA series T624 roll 663, lines 42-45}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|''The Bristol Daily Courier''|1959}}|author=|title=AAUW Stages Meeting|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975583/aauw_stages_meeting_the_bristol_daily/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[Bucks County Courier Times|The Bristol Daily Courier]]|date=October 26, 1959|location=Bristol, Pennsylvania|page=9|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|''The Women's Press''|1949}}|author=|title=A Second School of Social Work for Asia|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7cbibliographic_details%7c1462319|website=Women and Social Movements|publisher=Sophia Smith Collection: Women's History Archive|access-date=4 March 2018|location=Northampton, Massachusetts|pages=1–2|date=January 1949|postscript=. Elmina Rose Lucke Papers, 1897-1987: Archival clipping of an article from the ''Women's Press'' of New York City, New York.|url-access=subscription |via=[[Alexander Street Press]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Sophia Smith Collection|1988}}|author=|title=Elmina Rose Lucke, Social Worker|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7cbibliographic_details%7c1462323|website=Women and Social Movements|publisher=Sophia Smith Collection: Women's History Archive|access-date=4 March 2018|location=Northampton, Massachusetts|page=49|date=Winter 1988|postscript=. Elmina Rose Lucke Papers, 1897-1987: Archival clipping of a published obituary from an unidentified journal.|url-access=subscription |via=[[Alexander Street Press]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Sophia Smith Collection|2004}}|author=|title=Elmina Rose Lucke Papers Finding Aid|url=http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss41_bioghist.html|website=asteria.fivecolleges.edu|publisher=Sophia Smith Collection: [[Smith College]]|access-date=4 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622074358/http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss41_bioghist.html|archive-date=22 June 2010|location=Northampton, Massachusetts|date=2004}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|''The Age''|1964}}|author=|title=Human Rights Are Advertised|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17975610/human_rights_are_advertised_the_age/|access-date=4 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=September 22, 1964|location=Melbourne, Victoria, Australia|page=16|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Ohio Death Records|1941}}|author=|title=Ohio Death Records 1908-1953: Carrie Lucke|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9P2P-SMNF?i=883&cc=1307272|website=FamilySearch|publisher=Ohio Department of Health|access-date=4 March 2018|location=Columbus, Ohio|page=884|date=October 2, 1941|id=file #61890}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/808 Elmina Rose Lucke papers] at the [[Sophia Smith Collection]], Smith College Special Collections
{{Authority control}}
{{Michigan Women's Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucke, Elmina R.}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Monroe County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:Columbia University alumni]]
[[Category:American social workers]]
[[Category:Teachers College, Columbia University faculty]]
[[Category:University of Chicago people]]

Elmina R. Lucke - Revision history

ShantaeBpy: adding initial page w/ refs