Dr. Mary Lindsey Lewis (1944-2018)

A Pioneer and Trail Blazer for Children's Education around the World.

Dr. Mary Lindsey Lewis began her career at the University of South Florida (USF) in 1981, as the Director of Special Services in Undergraduate Studies. In 1985, she became the Executive Director of the Hillsborough County Center of Excellence, Inc., a non-profit agency dedicated to helping minority children (in grades K-12) excel academically. Her vision was to help children progress from entering preschool to earning their doctorate degrees.

Dr. Lindsey was a pioneer who sought to improve services and outcomes for children. In 1990, she wrote a grant to the Children's Board of Hillsborough County (CBHC) to start the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), an evidenced-based, home-based, early childhood education program. At that time, HIPPY which originated in Israel, existed in a handful of states in the country. In successfully securing funding from the CBHC, Dr. Lindsey brought HIPPY to the Tampa Bay area, making the Hillsborough County HIPPY program one of the first HIPPY programs in the state.

In 1996, Dr. Lindsey became the Director of the Florida HIPPY Training and Technical Assistance Center (T&TA Center) in USF's College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. Over her twenty-two years as Director, Dr. Lindsey was dedicated to strengthening and growing HIPPY programs in Florida. She secured over $300 million to assist Florida families prepare their children for kindergarten. During this time, Florida HIPPY programs delivered services to approximately 1,500 children each year, providing them with resources and tools needed to prepare them for kindergarten, and laying the foundation necessary to increase their chances for school success.

Dr. Lindsey's professional work contributed significantly to the field of early childhood education and home visiting programs. Her expertise made her an invaluable partner to HIPPY USA, the organization with national oversight of HIPPY programs. As a national HIPPY trainer, Dr. Lindsey provided training and technical assistance to HIPPY programs across the country.

Dr. Lindsey's love for children, belief in the need for diversity, inclusion, innovation and technology and strong commitment to improving the lives of children and families extended beyond her work in the United States. She was a trail blazer who used her beliefs and skills in communities in West Africa. Dr. Lindsey started a Center of Excellence in the Gambia, and worked on a pilot project that used mobile phones to deliver educational materials to some of the most impoverished families in Nigeria.

Dr. Lindsey was well respected and received numerous awards and recognitions for her work. During this Black Emphasis Month, we honor this beautiful, courageous, African-American, daughter, sister, wife, mother and educator for her life-long contributions to the children and families she impacted in the US and West Africa. Life's race well run!

-- Ruby Joseph, HIPPY Researcher, Florida HIPPY T&TA Center

Black History Month Did You Know Facts:

• Alexander Miles (1838-1918) in Ohio, was an African-American inventor who holds the patent for the automatic opening and closing of an elevator door? Before then elevator doors were manually operated and a person could easily fall to the shaft if anyone forgot to close it. This situation inspired Miles to invent a mechanism which enabled the shaft to close the elevator door. He was awarded this patent in October, 1887 when he was 49 years old
• Miriam E. Benjamin (1861-1947) was an African-American who invented the gong and signal chair. What's that? It is a chair which Benjamin invented that had a small button which when pressed would show a light that would get someone's attention. This invention was used in hotels by hotel guests who would sit in the chair and press the button to get the hotel attendants, waiters and staff's attention. It allowed guests to avoid hand clapping or calling out loudly. She received a patent for this invention in July, 1888. This chair was even adopted by the United States House of Representatives, and was a precursor to the signaling system we use today on airplanes to get the attention of flight attendants.

Dr. Tina Dillahunt-Aspillaga was invited to participate as a Special Symposium presenter at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Conference, to be held October 21 - 24, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The educational event is widely recognized as the world's premier interdisciplinary conference for rehabilitation research. Special Symposia presenters and topics are recommended by ACRM community groups for their impact and educational value in a specific focus area and selected by the Program Committee.

Dr. Svetlana Yampolskaya has agreed to serve as a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Public Child Welfare (JPCW) during January, 2020 through January 2023. JPCW is a refereed professional journal that provides a scholarly forum to inform researchers, practitioners, policy makers, the profession, and the larger public about important issues and findings in public child welfare research and practice.

Haley Neil, a 3rd year Doctor of Audiology student, was awarded the John M. Tragon, III Memorial Scholarship for her commitment to community service and volunteerism. Mr. Tragon was an extremely active member of the Tampa Sertoma Breakfast Club from 1976 until his passing due to pancreatic cancer in 2018, and served as Sertoma's International President from 1991-1992. The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving 3rd or 4th year AuD student.

Alice Bonner, PhD, RN, FAAN, will present "Aging is Cool: Everyone's Doing It!" on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 10:30am in USF College of Nursing, MDN 1096B. Dr. Bonner is Senior Advisor on Aging with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Director of Strategic Partnerships at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She served as Secretary of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 2015-2019. From 2011-2013, Dr. Bonner served as Director of the Division of Nursing Homes in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Her research interests include policy development to promote quality and safety in health systems and community-based settings, elder abuse, falls prevention, improving dementia care and reducing unnecessary antipsychotic medication use, and improving care transitions.

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