SSW Mourns the Loss of Distinguished Alumna and Social Justice Supporter Gerri Kay

The School of Social Work was deeply saddened to learn that SSW alumna Gerri Kay passed away this week. She was an advocate for civil rights, social justice and the arts.Ms. Kay’s early career involved social work at what was then Reizenstein Middle School in East Liberty, the school that pioneered in desegregation starting in the 1970s. Her unflagging advocacy on behalf of fair and integrated schools led to her position as director of the Public Education Fund, which allocated education funding from the Ford Foundation to 50 cities. With The Pittsburgh Foundation, Ms. Kay later worked with Marc Cherna, director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, to form the Beverly Jewell Wall Lovelace after-school program, which continues to serve 1,000 children every year and helped with the establishment of the Human Services Integration Fund in 1997 to help improve county services. In addition to her service on the boards of the Greater Pittsburgh chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill Health Center, Ms. Kay held positions in the city’s numerous arts organizations, including the Chamber Music Pittsburgh Advisory Board, City Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Society for Contemporary Craft and Squonk Opera. In addition, she advised the Pittsburgh Dance Council and Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Jazz programming.Kay was the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Alumni in Social Work Practice Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.Donations can be made to the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Pennsylvania; Squirrel Hill Health Center; The Institute of Politics, University of Pittsburgh and City of Asylum Pittsburgh.Read about her life and amazing contributions in the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review