Mary Beth Style Moves on to Direct Practice in Child Welfare

It is with mixed feelings that I am writing to announce my formal retirement as an NCFA employee because of the birth of my first child in March. I have been privileged to work for an organization which is so dedicated to the defense and preservation of adoption so that children, pregnant women, struggling parents and adoptive parents can benefit from one of the most successful social institutions of our times. The work has not always been easy as it is a day to day struggle with forces who would like to end adoption as we have known it is a permanent family situation for a child. But the battle and the opposition have energized me as I think of the alternatives for children if there we no NCFA to defend adoption.

I say that I am formally retiring as an employee of NCFA, and while I may regret this next statement, I cannot see that I will ever truly stop working for NCFA and adoption. Adoption is too important to lose any of its advocates. Besides I have had some pretty lousy role models when it comes to retiring.

My own mother, Helen Seader, who is a trained social worker, has never been paid for a day's work since she had her first of nine children. However, as children we went with her to work in migrant worker camps, on Indian reservations, into the inner city on projects for the War on Poverty and shared our bedrooms with unmarried pregnant women. It was this latter experience that brought me into the adoption field.

My first job out of college was to be assistant to Dorothy Bird Daly, Director of Social Services at the National Conference of Catholic Charities. It was at that point that I was introduced to sound adoption practice by compiling the Catholic Charities response in opposition to the HEW Draft Model State Adoption Act. Coincidentally, a fledgling organization, the National Committee for Adoption, was forming across the hall to take on the HEW Model Act. Dorothy had been affiliated with Catholic Charities on and off for 50 years. She had retired from an important government job and had retired as Dean of the School of Social Work at the Catholic University of America and yet here she was working well into her 70s.

Then I came to NCFA where I have come to know and respect a number of very special individuals. Ruby Lee Piester had already retired as executive director of the Gladney Center, but continued to work for them, for NCFA, for state committees and anything else she could do for adoption. Several years later when she should have been sitting at her fishing pond enjoying some peace, Ruby Lee started a new agency focusing on finding families for children with special needs and she continues to work there to this day in addition to her continuing volunteer work for NCFA.

Jane Edwards, who also continues to work for NCFA, retired as the Executive Director of Spence-Chapin Services, but stays involved as a very active board member with two adoption agencies in New York City. Until this year she was NCFA's representative on the Board of the Council on Accreditation and she remains and active member of NCFA's Board.

Richard Zeilinger, retired executive of the Children's bureau of New Orleans, continues to be an inspiration to me as I read many of his classic writings on appropriate adoption practices and he continues in a consulting capacity today on both domestic and international adoption issues.

Marietta Spencer the "Webster" of positive adoption language, retired from the Children's Home Society of Minnesota, where she continued to provide post adoption services, writes extensively, speaks to adoption agencies and parent groups all over the United States and provides me with invaluable advice and feedback on my work.

These are only a few of the people who have had an impact on my thinking about adoption and to whom I am greatly indebted. Their example has shown me that I have a moral obligation to continue to work on behalf of adoption, and continue I will. I think I'll probably take a couple of months off completely, but then I want to be able to pursue some of the things that I have not had time for because of the daily demands of working for NCFA. I would like to write a book on grief counseling as I am deeply concerned that many social workers and counselors in the adoption field do not know how to help women to heal. I would also like to do a book project exposing some of the fallacies and wrongheaded theories in adoption today which are causing intense pain for all members of the adoption triad. I look forward to my continued association with members of the NCFA, even if it is not in the capacity of full-time employee.

I am also confident that NCFA will continue to be the voice of reason in defense of adoption. NCFA has reorganized a bit and Patrick Purtill, M.P., who has worked for NCFA for two years in development work will use his public policy skills to handle federal and state legislation for NCFA. NAR readers may remember his piece in the last issue on Family preservation. Mara Duffy, M.S.W., long time supporter of NCFA, who has over ten years experience with pregnant teens and women, will take on practice responsibilities as well as other duties in the office.

Thank you all for your continued support of adoption and NCFA.

© National Council for Adoption