Introducing:
Eva Whiting White
Born in Weston, Massachusetts, on August 5th, 1885, Eva Whiting White graduated in 1907 from the Boston School for Social Workers, which later became the Simmons College School of Social Work. In 1904, Simmons had become the first college to offer social work as a field of study. This may make Eva Whiting White one of the first people in the world to earn a degree in social work.
Eva Whiting White began working at the Elizabeth Peabody House in the West End of Boston in 1909. She ran the settlement house for 35 years. From 1922 to 1950, Eva Whiting White was also a professor of Social Work at Simmons College. She was the director of the social work department from 1922 to 1929, proving her dedication to educating women and producing quality social workers.
Eva Whiting White’s professional career did not end in the school room or at the doors of the EPH, however. She was deeply involved in Boston politics and actively worked to better the community. Eva was a member of many organizations such as the Boston Common Tercentenary Committee and the Boston Housing Authority.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials in this exhibit are from the Eva Whiting White papers, Simmons University Archives Manuscript Collection 022. The images and text on this web site are made available for study purposes only. They may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Simmons University Archives. For more information, please contact the University Archives at archives@simmons.edu.