ABE LURIE: Early Retirement at Age 93 Growing up in the Bronx, Abe Lurie attended DeWitt Clinton High School and then went on to City College. The United States had just entered World War II, and Lurie knew he would soon be drafted. Hoping to be more than a foot soldier, he prepared by taking advanced classes in science. Once in the Army, he was placed in the Medical Corps and was soon selected, based on a competitive exam, for intensive psychological training at Ohio State University. There, he studied with the legendary Carl Rogers, founder of humanistic, or client-centered, psychology. This approach influenced the young “kid from the Bronx” greatly. Another major influence was a fellow member of the program, Timothy Leary who, years later, became known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs, especially LSD. Since it was the Army, men were paired off in alphabetical order, so Leary and Lurie spent much time together. This program led to them both getting a master’s degree while in uniform. But, they were still GIs, and marched and trained like all the other soldiers. “We remained friends even after our discharge,” said Lurie. “Another memorable experience while in the army and stationed near Rome was my audience with Pope Pius XII. I enjoyed playing chess with the base chaplain. He was arranging for a group to meet the Pontiff and invited me to join them. It was awesome – the palatial chapel, the sedan chair, and the ascetic Pope. He blessed us and wished an early end to the war and our safe journey home. It was 1944.” Once home, Lurie went on to train in social work, then practiced at Bellevue and Manhattan State Hospitals. He continued in his career, and became chief at Long island Jewish Hillside Hospital and built up their fledgling social work program which, under his leadership, became one of the largest and best trained hospital social work departments in the country. His emphasis was on community programs, such as group homes for discharged psychiatric patients, a developing idea at that time. Dr. Lurie, with his Ph.D. From New York University, was a pioneer in that direction. He met with community leaders and political figures to open more group homes in residential neighborhoods. There was much resistance, which the media labeled NIMBY, “not in my backyard.” With the help of Lurie and others, the Padavan Bill became law, making communities agree to group homes when appropriate. He also helped establish a group home for autistic children and a preschool for children with developmental disabilities, which now serves several hundred children. He is the recipient of many awards in recognition of his numerous contributions to social policy and practice. According to the National Association of Social work Foundation, “Abe Lurie is one of the great innovators in social work. His programs are known throughout the world. He has initiated some of the best advocacy programs for mental health in the country.” While engaged in these activities, Lurie raised his family in the Birchwood section of Jericho and taught social work at Adelphi, NYU, and Columbia as an adjunct. In 2003, with his daughters grown and now a widower, he moved to North Shore Towers. He then taught full time at Adelphi, retiring as Professor Emeritus. It was not a welcome retirement but the university had a mandatory retirement age of 70. Ironically this was lifted one year later. That’s when he went to Stony Brook University as a “new hire” at age 71 and taught there until 2011. Along the way, Lurie published more than 75 books, monographs, and articles. He is a nationally recognized authority in group psychology. “Looking back on my career, I took pleasure in my writing, but even more satisfaction in the training of social workers,” he said. At NST, he joined the Tuesday night ROMEOS. This is part of a national group consisting of “retired older men eating out.” More than 10 years ago, he met Dr. Anita Gurian of Building Two who retired this year from the NYU School of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. They enjoy socializing and recently co-edited a journal dealing with the issues faced by parents of children with autism. “She is a great bridge player who had the patience to teach me the game, which helped fill in the gap when I retired from Stony Brook in 2011. Leaving was against the advice of the dean, but I opted for an early retirement at age 93.” There are at least a dozen professional social workers and psychologists living at the Towers now who studied under Lurie at one time or another. By FRED CHERNOW North Shore Towers Courier n April 2013 19
NST042013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above