Ruth Irelan Knee: Her National Legacy

Remarks by Robert Carter Arnold, NASW Foundation

I am so honored to be here today representing the National Office of the National Association of Social Workers and our 150,000 social worker members. My name is Bob Arnold.  As Director of the NASW Foundation, I feel very fortunate to have known Ruth—and to have worked with her closely—for the past 7 years.   I joined NASW in 2001 and, before I knew it, I had been invited to have lunch with Ruth Knee and Mark Battle here at the Cosmos Club—learning about the history of the organization and what I needed to do.

My impossible task today is to talk about Ruth Knee’s involvement and legacy at the national level of NASW—50-plus years—in just a few minutes.

We, at the Foundation, have spent considerable time researching and reviewing Ruth’s past involvement with NASW…which is intertwined with the entire history of NASW… and even earlier. 

Special thanks to Kerri Criswell Major who helped compile a Tribute Book for Ruth’s Family. 

We came across a newsletter from the American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers.  The year was 1951, and Mrs. Ruth Knee was the president—at age 31. 

On the front page of the newsletter was the bold headline:  “Mrs. Knee names many activities needing attention and action.” 

Ruth was a member of the council of the existing social work organizations that came together to form one— the National Association of Social Workers.

In 1955, the 7 organizations merged and there, on NASW’s first national board, was Ruth Knee.  She was elected to the Executive Board and served as the first Secretary of NASW from 1955 to 1957.

Ruth was also mentioned in the first issue of NASW News in November 1955.

Ruth had high standards and expected the same of others.  In 1963, Ruth was appointed chair of the Committee on the Study of Competence.  This new committee, for the first time, made a concerted effort to understand and define the nature of competence in the practice of social work in all of its various forms and fields.  Among those on the committee were Lewis W. Carr and Ruth Fizdale. 

In 1971, NASW President Whitney M. Young, Jr., appointed Ruth to the newly-formed NASW Competence Certification Board. 

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In 1974, Ruth quote unquote “retired” from the US Public Health Service.  That left more time for NASW and her other volunteer activities and interests. 

She chaired the group that developed NASW’s “Standards for Social Work Services in Long-Term Care Facilities.”

She served on the Editorial Committee of the journal, Health and Social Work. 

She served as an NASW representative to the Joint Commission on Inter-Professional Affairs.  For years, she was part of the regular meetings with the psychiatrists, the psychologists, and the nurses.   Throughout her life, Ruth constantly urged the four major mental health professions to meet together and work together. 

She served on the Social Work Case Management Task Force. 

She served as a member of the US President’s Commission on Mental Health.

She served on the H.E.W. Committee on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly.

And she even formed a new organization—a Washington-based coalition of national organizations called “The Forum on Long-Term Care.”
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In 1984, a new Executive Director was selected for NASW:  Mark Battle.  Mark was then an NASW Board Member.  Who did the NASW Board select to fill the remainder of Mark’s term, but Ruth Knee—who again served on the NASW Board from 1984 to 1986. 

In 1986, the NASW Board passed a resolution commending Ruth Knee for her outstanding career and contributions to social work, calling her “a pioneer in the development of community health services and military social work.”

In 1986-87, Ruth served on the Institute of Medicine Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health.

In 1989, the NASW Board of Directors approved the establishment of the Ruth Knee/Milton Wittman Health and Mental Health Achievement Awards and in 1990 the first awards were given—to Dr. Helen Rehr and to Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper.  Recipients have been honored each year since and the Knee/Wittman Awards are recognized nationally.   We are delighted that Peretz Wittman, Milt Wittman’s son, is here today.

A number of Knee/Wittman Award recipients are here today.

About the same time, the NASW Social Work Pioneer Program was created to help recall the people and events that led to the current accomplishments of the Social Work profession. 

By 1992, Ruth and Corinne Wolfe were leading a fundraising drive to create a designated Pioneer Room in the new NASW headquarters, where NASW is now located. 

1998 was celebrated as “100 Years of Professional Social Work.”  Some of you were part of the activities and recall that Ruth, as Co-Chair of the Pioneers, spoke at the reception –when the NASW Social Work Centennial Collection was presented to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. 

The Pioneers have been a key force behind the LEGACY Project.  During the past 7 years, a renewed attempt has been made to gather, organize, preserve, and disseminate materials about NASW’s history—and its key people. 

Major accomplishments include:

• the hiring of a professional archivist,
• the NASW 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book,
• and the 50th Anniversary Exhibit. 

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Ruth Knee’s impact was also felt in the printed word:  she was published in 5 editions of the Encyclopedia of Social Work and in numerous journals and government reports. 

Year after year, barely a day went by that one of us in the Foundation did not speak with Ruth.  She was part of NASW from the time of its creation– for more than 50 years.  I know every time I spoke with her I came away with another page of tasks and items to follow up on.

I would be remiss not to mention Ruth’s dogs.  And my own dog would never forgive me.  You all know about Ruth’s dogs—who were rescue dogs—including Nadia, Noodles, and Mr. Lucky. 

Mr. Lucky had been abandoned and had two broken legs.  Ruth took him in and made him a part of her home.  It’s just another way Ruth lived out her values.

Throughout her life, Ruth Knee made a tremendous impact on the National Association of Social Workers, on the social work profession, on the lives of those helped by her professional expertise, and on everyone who was part of her life.

We pledge to continue her work and to carry on the good fight to help improve the world around us. 

For there is much to be done…

and, just as in 1951, Mrs. Knee still has—for us—for each of us—many activities needing our attention and action.”