Comments by Jerome M. Goldsmith

My first association with Shirley Jenkins will be totally unfamiliar to all of you. My closest friend sat behind Shirley in third or fourth grade. Although he was wildly competitive with her in their school work, he carried a torch for her in miserable silence. Over the years they shared a scholarly friendship, frequently crossing paths because of their research interests. He never reminded her that he had been so competitive, nor of his flame for her. And I never told him that years ago I had told her this story. The lady never told him she knew. That little girl continued to grace her relationships with the same discretion and consideration throughout her scholarly career.

Over the years Shirley played a critical role in the appraisal of the foster care system. Long before the system became a target of reform for the advocates, Shirley identified the injustices in the system, and their consequences, especially for minority children. Early on, Shirley quietly and effectively planted seeds of concern for children parents whose lives were enmeshed in the system, and laid the ground work for reform. Her voice in public meetings addressing these problems and others was clear and strong. We shall miss its messages as we continue to struggle with today's issues.

When I served as the Executive Vice President of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, we at the Agency and the Columbia University School of Social Work pursued the notion of developing a jointly sponsored Center for the Study of Social Work Practice. Practice research was an area insufficiently nurtured in our field. Shirley's eager acceptance of the Directorship of the Center made the notion real. Her magnificent intelligence and incredible energy, even in the last difficult years of her illness, were unflagging. She wrote. She edited. She organized. She supported. She critiqued. She produced a conference of superb quality on the critical subject of the intertwining of practice and research. Shirley made enormous contributions in child and family welfare and other areas on an international level.

There is an empty place in our professional ranks now. There is an empty place in our hearts as well. Shirley gave us rationality and clarity. She never let us off the hook with excuses for failure as she never hesitated to help us rethink the issues and try again. We shall miss her.