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Howard Parad’s Gentle Vision Dean Parad and his family modelled balanced approach to learning and scholarship
As Dean of Smith College School for Social Work from 1956 through 1971, Howard Parad, M.S.W., Ph.D., shepherded the School through turbulent times for the country and intellectually stimulating times for social workers. Parad, who died at his Florida home Sept. 2, 2019 at age 96, enjoyed a distinguished career as a lecturer, teacher, mentor, practitioner and scholar. He made indelible contributions to the field throughout his career, but those who knew him best say his years at Smith remained among the most meaningful to him. “It was his favorite job,” confirmed his wife, Libbie Parad, 96. “He loved everything about it, the colleagues, the community,” agreed their son, Jonathan.
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During their 77-year marriage, Howard and Libbie shared an enduring, and uncommonly equal for the times, professional collaboration in which they coauthored books and articles. “My father would be the first to say that my mother was half the team,” said Jonathan. “He could not have done it alone.” Libbie and Howard married in 1944, though Libbie notes that they first met in kindergarten. As colleagues, she said, they loved working together on projects meaningful to both of them. “He would write an article and give it to me and I would read it and I would say, ‘It’s very good, but it’s two or three articles,’” she said. “And I would edit— it made it much more readable.” SSW Professor James Drisko, M.S.W.,
S M I T H COL L E G E SCHO O L FO R SO CIAL WO RK
’77, Ph.D., said Parad’s biggest contri‑ bution to the field was the groundbreaking and innovative work he and Libbie did on crisis intervention theory and practice. “This was a massive change,” said Drisko. “They wrote several books and were practically leaders in the ’60s and ’70s in this whole endeavor.” The work helped pave the way to greater access to services and, Drisko believes, a reduction in stigma surrounding people seeking out mental health treatment. There was a greater understanding and acceptance, he said, that “you may need help with everyday life stuff.” Though Drisko earned his master’s degree after Parad had left the Pioneer Valley, he got to know Parad through
