Ione Vargus (Temple University)
More Than A Picnic:
African American Family Reunions
Tuesday, September 10, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Family structures in America have changed but people, regardless
of race and ethnicity, have noted the diminishing of the extended
family as a profound loss. As African American families have
expanded their reunion activities from an afternoon picnic
to a three-day event, they have revived crucial functions
of the extended family. This is significant because the extended
family had been a critical force for survival of Black families
in this country. The reunion also has become a vehicle for
imparting knowledge, inspiration and family empowerment. Benefits
and purposes of African American family reunions will be discussed.
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Biographical Statement: Ione Dugger Vargus is
a Professor and Dean Emerita of Temple University and volunteer
administrator/chair of the Family Reunion Institute of Temple
University. Her several roles at the University included that
of Presidential Fellow and Acting Vice Provost. As both the
first African-American and the first woman academic dean in
Temple's history, she served as the Dean of the School of Social
Administration for 13 years. She has also held faculty and administrative
positions at Brandeis University and University of Illinois
at Champaign-Urbana. A native of Medford, Massachusetts, Dr.
Vargus received a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University,
a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago and a
Ph.D. from Brandeis University. She has published on several
topics.
In 1986, she began her research on African American family reunions.
She documented the growing use of reunions as a vehicle to impart
knowledge, inspiration and family values. Guided by a desire
to support the functioning and survival of extended families,
she founded the Family Reunion Institute of Temple University
in 1990. The Institute organizes an annual conference on African-American
family reunions. A nationally acclaimed authority on family
reunions, Dr. Vargus has been quoted in numerous national and
local publications, and has appeared on a variety of radio and
television shows.
Dr. Vargus is an Emeritus Trustee of Tufts University and is
a former Chair of the Board of Managers of the Philadelphia
Foundation. She is a Trustee of the Unitarian-Universalist Service
Committee.
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The MARIAL Center
Emory West, 4th Floor, Room 415E
Open to the public
Refreshments will be served
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Events
DIRECTIONS TO THE MARIAL CENTER
The MARIAL Center is located on the 4th floor of
the main building of Emory's Briarcliff Campus, 1256 Briarcliff
Rd. From the main campus, take North Decatur Road to Briarcliff
Road, turn left, and the Briarcliff Campus will be on your right.
There is ample parking close to the building. The Emory shuttle
(Route A) provides transportation from the main campus to the
MARIAL Center every 20 minutes (a 5-10 minute ride). For the shortest
travel time, board the shuttle in front of the B. Jones Center
or at the corner of Dowman and Fishburne (across from Glenn Memorial)
at approximately 4, 24, and 44 minutes after each hour. A complete
schedule and the route map are available on the web at http://www.epcs.emory.edu/AltTransp/route-a.htm
Please tell the receptionist at the front window
that you are here for the MARIAL Center lecture.
