Obituary: Dorothy Aikin, SSA

Dorothy Aikin (A.M.'50, Ph.D.'57), Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Service Administration and a pioneering scholar in the field of social work and family treatment, died April 30 in her Evanston home. She was 85.

Aikin, whose career began in the 1930s, was among the first to incorporate family diagnosis and treatment within social-work interventions. She was also among the first social-work educators to introduce family treatment into the professional curriculum.

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, she received her B.A. in 1930 from McGill University and her diploma in social work in 1935 from the Montreal School of Social Work (now McGill University School of Social Work). She received her A.M. in 1950 and her Ph.D. in 1957, both from Chicago.

Aikin worked for the Family Welfare Association in Montreal from 1939 to 1945, when she joined the faculty of McGill University, where she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1965. She joined the Chicago faculty in 1951 and was named Professor in 1964. She became emeritus in 1974.

After her retirement, Aikin continued to teach part time, and she was a visiting professor of social work at the Western Australian Institute of Technology from 1976 to 1978. She also was a consultant to several social-service agencies.

Aikin was a charter member of the National Association of Social Workers, as well as a member of several other professional associations. She was also active in neighborhood activities, and from 1954 to 1960 she was on the board of directors of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.

Survivors include a brother, Archibald, and a sister, Ethel.