Ruth Bluford
Anderson
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"I
have personally known Ruth Anderson for over ten years,
and she has constantly contributed toward the betterment
of the disadvantaged and misunderstood.”
—Margaret Rees |
Ruth
Bluford Anderson, University of Northern Iowa associate professor
of social work, has been especially interested in and actively
involved in female substance abuse issues. She served as cochair
of the first statewide institute on the problems of women alcoholics,
was a member of the Iowa Substance Abuse Commission, and was
honored by the Des Moines unit of the National Council on Alcoholism
for bringing the special problems of the female alcoholic to
the attention of alcoholism treatment professionals. Anderson
has contributed her leadership abilities to the Iowa Coalition
of Community Organizations, the Iowa Mental Health Association,
and local and interstate branches of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People. She was born in 1921.
Anderson was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1982.UPDATE: Anderson is the author of From Mother's Aid
Child to University Professor: An Autobiography of an American
Black Woman, 1985. In 1989, Anderson became the first African-American
woman to be elected to an at-large seat on the Black Hawk County
Board of Supervisors. She also served on the Iowa Equality in
the Courts Task Force. In 1990, Anderson retired after teaching
22 years and serves as Professor Emeritus for the University
of Northern Iowa, Department of Social Work. Among the honors
she has received are the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Simpson
College, 1990; Great Delta Teacher of the Year, Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Baltimore, Maryland, 1992; and the Kirk Strong Award,
Governor's Conference on Substance Abuse, 1992. In 1996, Anderson
was inducted into the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame.
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