|
Eleanor Owen (born January 22, 1921), also known as Eleanor DeVito, is an American journalist, playwright, university professor, costume designer, theatre actress, and mental health professional. She has received statewide and national honors and awards for her advocacy work on behalf of families and individuals with mental illness. Serving as an advocate in Olympia, Washington, Owen has participated in the introduction and successful passage of health and human services legislation. In 1978, she founded the Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill and the following year in Wisconsin, she co-founded the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), which is the largest public initiative in the US that works to support families and individuals facing mental health difficulties. The organization encompasses over 1,200 affiliates at the regional, state, and federal level in every geographical region throughout the US. Offices can also be found in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada. In 1999, King County Executive and Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ron Sims, honored her with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the King County Mental Health Exemplary Service Awards. In 2000, she received the Jefferson Award from the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' for her advocacy work on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness. == Personal background == Eleanor Elizabeth DeVito was born on January 22, 1921, in Brooklyn, New York City. She was the third of eight children and eldest daughter born to Charles Francis "Frank" and Elvira "Abirone" (née Mazzatenda) DeVito, Italian immigrants from Chieti, Italy. Her siblings included brothers Francis, Albert, and Charles; and sisters Mildred (Starin), Gloria (Freer), Genevieve (Glynn), and Evelyn (Carbone). When she was a young child, the DeVito family moved to Balmville, a small hamlet overlooking the Hudson River in upstate New York. The DeVito children attended school together in a small, three-room school house. Following an academic assessment in elementary school, Eleanor advanced a couple levels, graduating early.〔 In summer 1936, DeVito was responsible for the care of her younger siblings and decided to take them all to a local swimming hole to cool off. She parked the car on the far side of railroad tracks from the water. After a day of enjoyment, she called for each child to jump in the car for the drive home and honked the car horn, hoping they would hurry along. Unbeknownst to her, a train was coming. Her six-year-old brother, Charles, was killed instantly while crossing the railroad tracks. "It took me a long time to accept the fact that I was responsible for that, but it did happen, and I had to come to terms with it."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eleanor Owen」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|