Dr. Anna Porter Burrell; "A quiet break through.".

When we look at how change comes about in society, we often look to major events or prominent persons and attribute change to them. For example, when we think of desegregation, the famous court case Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) comes to mind. Further, we associate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with the success of The Civil Rights Movement. Yet, change is a progressive process and takes place over time. It is often a slow process that is the culmination of the acts of many ordinary people who are not well known. Therefore, it is important to investigate "smaller" events, those on the local and regional level, and the people involved in them, to understand how change takes place over time. One such person worthy of study is Dr. Anna Porter Burrell.

Dr. Burrell was the first African American faculty member to be hired at Buffalo State College. Hired in 1948, she set the precedent at the college for hiring African American faculty. Setting the precedent or being the "first" involves tremendous responsibility. She carried her responsibility well and opened the door so that others could follow. Dr. E. O. Smith, chair of the History and Social Studies Department at Buffalo State College, referred to Burrell's success at the college as a "quiet break through." (2) This remark was in no way intended to make light of her accomplishments. Quite the opposite is true, it described her ability to break through and overcome barriers in her professional career.

"Quiet break through" refers to the fact that there was no major event that made her well known or famous. If it was not for the fact that Burrell was of African American descent she may have been overlooked in the history of Buffalo State College. Yet, because of her race she was able to make a difference. Her career focused on the worth and dignity of the individual to create a more harmonious society. Because she was well respected among the faculty and the students at the college her message had a receptive audience.

To begin Burrell's story we need to examine her own education, how she was hired at the college and what she wrote and lectured about so that we can get a better perspective of her, as an individual. She did not come to the college until she was forty-four years old and it would be a distortion to ignore those prior years. Burrell grew up in Philadelphia, PA. and attended high school and Normal school there (a two year training college for teachers), graduating in 1921. Even as late as 1940, 93% of African Americans had not completed high school. (3) At that time a career in teaching was one of the few acceptable avenues open to females who wished to pursue higher education. (4)

Burrell continued to defy the statistics, and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania and attained her B.S. Degree in chemistry, in 1923. She spent the next two years teaching chemistry at Lincoln University. To strive to improve her own education she returned to the University of Pennsylvania to complete her M.S. Degree in medical sciences in 1926. These facts alone do not fully explain her educational accomplishments. First, the financial aspect of paying for her education cannot be over looked because it tells us what was important to her family and to her. While attending the University of Pennsylvania she did not receive any financial aid, scholarship, or funds from outside employment. (5) From this information it can be assumed that her parents were supportive of her educational pursuits. Her father worked as a minister, which was a respected profession, and her mother did not work outside of the home. (6) The emotional and financial support she received from her family was essential, especially since she was studying in a field that was outside the normal realm for females and for an African American attending a Northern white college.

In 1926, the year Burrell received her M.S. Degree, the University of Pennsylvania awarded only eighty-one M.S. Degrees to women compared to 213 for men. (7) Additionally, attending a white college would have impacted her on a more personal level. Her social opportunities would have been limited. In the 1920s, America was still very much a segregated society, even in the North. She would have had fewer opportunities to meet other educated African Americans. This may be one reason for her marrying later in her life. She did not marry until she was forty, nor did she have children; she met her husband at Howard University, an African American college.

Attending the University of Pennsylvania marked her entrance into a very upper class "white" world. She defied the normal constraints put on females, regardless of race. The education that was generally available to African American females concentrated on domestic, moral, and enhancing one's ability to better educate her children. (8) The progressive education program at the University of Pennsylvania enabled her to gain academic freedom and gave her the foundation and confidence to go forward in her career and excel at it.

Upon attaining her M.S. Degree, she took a position at Howard University to teach bacteriology with the understanding that she would be able to study for her medical degree simultaneously. (9) Yet, once she started teaching she was not allowed to pursue her own studies; however the man that took her job when she left three years later was able to teach and study simultaneously. (10) This experience caused her to feel the sting of discrimination, not because of her race, but because she was a woman. Howard University's faculty was predominantly male. (11)

She left Howard in 1929, to pursue her career in New York City teaching the sciences in the public schools. It was over the next decade that she started to move away from the sciences and toward what was to become her life's work. She became concerned with child development in conjunction with the study of human relations. In 1967, she described the reason for this change in her keynote speech at the Buffalo State College Honors Convocation. She saw the sciences as receiving more academic creditability, but realized the students that she was teaching did not have access or opportunity to achieve success in their education. To obtain access to opportunity, she proposed that student's personal and social needs should be addressed. Further, she thought that youngsters needed to be taught to "walk with dignity on earth." (12)

This led her to re-think her own educational goals. She enrolled at Columbia University in Guidance and Personnel, in 1939. Going back to school reflected the interest she felt concerning the development of children. In 1945 she entered the doctorate program at New York University in the field of psychology. At approximately the same time she took a position with the New York City Board of Education in the area of human relations.

Her doctoral dissertation, "Facilitating Learning Through Emphasis on Meeting Children's Basic Emotional needs, An in-service training program," was an experimental study in meeting the needs of children in order to facilitate learning. (13) In this work she integrated her ideas about child development and human relations. Human relations for Burrell was a broad topic that encompassed communication, and the ability to interact productively with those you came in contact with to better understand people. She became a respected speaker in both human relations and child development.

While still in New York City and working for the Board of Education she published, "American Education, The Contribution to the Dignity and Worth of the Individual" in the Journal of Educational Sociology. (14) The article was in essence an editorial comment of past education practices from colonial days to present. Her major point was that the education of the day did not address the needs of the whole child, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. For Burrell, all aspects of the child needed to be addressed in order for learning to take place. Human relations, child development, and later international education, were the three areas that she was best known for at Buffalo State College. Her marriage to Robert Burrell, who was working in the Buffalo district attorney's office, was what brought her to the city of Buffalo.

The process of her being hired under Dr. Harry Rockwell, who was president of the college, is worth examining because it offers a window of insight as to what was involved in her becoming the first African American to be hired. Though the hiring process was probably the same as other faculty, it can be assumed that there was some out of the ordinary scrutiny of her personally.

There is abundant information available in the Buffalo State College Archives concerning Burrell. Unlike many other faculty files, much of the information was retained in her faculty personnel file. (15) The first letter (dated Dec. 1946) sent to Dr. Rockwell on Burrell's behalf was from the Director of Commission on Education Organizations, the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He recommended hiring her and offered this comment, "She has some Negro blood, but is of very light color, and in our judgement the racial background should not be a handicap in any way." (16) It appears that the director was in favor of Rockwell hiring Burrell, yet at the same time was preparing him that she was of African American descent.

Along those same lines, Bertha Diggs from the State of New York, Department of Labor wrote to Myron Short, President of Buffalo Savings Bank who was also Chairman of the Board at the University of Buffalo. Diggs asked him to contact Dr. Rockwell on Burrell's behalf. Short did write to Dr. Rockwell, addressing him as "Dear Harry," indicating a personal relationship between Rockwell and Short. Mr. Short pointed out, "that Miss Diggs was very prominent among colored people and that she was a very capable person." (17) It is unclear if this was a reassurance that despite her color Diggs was very competent or if it was a warning that Diggs had influence among prominent African Americans.

Both letters included that Burrell was anxious to join her husband who was working in the Buffalo District Attorney's office. In addition, both letters commented on her good looks, that she was capable, and that she had the ability to get along well with her colleagues. Dr. Rockwell was getting the information that although Anna Burrell was African American, she was attractive, light in color, and that she made a good impression on those she worked with. Additionally, that she was married to a professional, educated man that held a responsible position in the community.

Dr. Horace Mann, Professor Emeritus in the Exceptional Education Department at Buffalo State College has spent his professional life working to break down barriers of discrimination. He offered insight into the hiring of people who became the "first" ones to enter into a field. His theory was that you send your best candidate forward who you think will succeed. After they prove themselves to be successful it opens up the door for others. He described Burrell as, "a great door opener." (18)

Another letter concerning the hiring of Burrell to Dr. Rockwell was written by the Executive Director to the Mayor's Committee on Unity (dated 1947). The writer too mentioned her husband's work and thought, "she would be an extremely important person in your school to assist in dealing with the "knotty" human relations problems with which your community, like ours, is beset." (19) The "knotty" problem referred to the issue of race. After WWII, the issue of equality among the races was an issue that was being propelled to the forefront of American society.

Burrell originally applied for a position in the sciences or for a position dealing with human relations. Dr. Rockwell had no openings in those areas and inquired about her credentials in the area of psychology, specifically for teaching a course in child development. (20) Burrell had been working on such a course, training teachers in New York City. As already mentioned, her dissertation was based on meeting the needs of children to facilitate learning. Although Dr. Rockwell inquired about Burrell's qualifications in the area of psychology it should be noted that he was already aware of them. He had received her transcripts from New York University in addition to letters of recommendation that stated she was working in the area of psychology. Additionally, he had previously met with her in person. (21)

Burrell was hired in July 1948, after the college had investigated nine other candidates for the position of instructor in education. (22) Sister Martin Joseph, the former Buffalo State College Archivist at Butler Library, interviewed Dr. Burrell in 1980 after Burrell had retired. A pivotal question that Sister Martin Joseph asked concerned race. When asked if she had any problems being the first non-white on campus, Dr. Burrell's reply was, "None whatever. It worked out very well, after I got in." (23)

Burrell's writings, speeches, and courses taught, as well as comments from people who knew her, offer additional insights about Burrell the person. It is clear that she was a proponent of addressing the need of students as well as people in general with the Human Relation workshops that she developed. Yet, it doesn't appear that she saw people in terms of color, especially herself. This impression comes through strongest from the people who worked with her at Buffalo State College.

Joyce Fink, who was a graduate student at the University of Buffalo in the early 1950's, offered first hand accounts from her experience with Dr. Burrell. Burrell was a guest lecturer on the subject of Human Relations at the University of Buffalo. Ms. Fink remembered being surprised to see a well-dressed African American woman sitting in the lecture hall. She further noted that she had not experienced integration on the college campus. (24) This would have been typical in the Buffalo area in the early 1950's. Most students and faculty had little contact with African Americans on the campuses, or in the neighborhoods, churches, or even at social activities.

Fink described her impression of Burrell's lecture, "Dr. Burrell was exceedingly articulate and extremely bright," and that she had been thoroughly impressed. (25) Fink joined the staff at Buffalo State College, eventually becoming the Director of Public Relations, where she further interacted with Dr. Burrell. In the 1950s and 60s the college was white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant and that there was a level of resistance to diversity among the faculty. (26) Yet, it appeared that Burrell was very comfortable on campus and did not view diversity or prejudice as an obstacle to her personally.

Fink offered an explanation for this anomaly. She described Burrell, "as having a comfort level with herself that radiated; she was comfortable with who she was. Anna Burrell knew who she was." (27) It is much easier to work with someone who is secure in their own self-image because they have that special ability to put others at ease. They do not appear to be threatening or trying to achieve their agenda at the expense of others. Also, because she was comfortable with herself she did not feel the need to "explain or pose" for others. If there was a race problem on the campus, it was not her problem but belonged to those who held racial views.

Fink's explanation offered one aspect to Burrell's success, but there was more to it than that. What became obvious when talking to the colleagues she worked with was that she was an admired individual. Another aspect that became a repeated theme when speaking to those who knew her was her good looks. She was described as, "attractive, elegant, stylish, well-dressed, competent, and outgoing." (28) It was the norm when her colleagues spoke of her to characterize her first by her looks, or the way she carried herself, and then added her competence second. She exhibited a level of professionalism in her dress, and how she carried herself. It is understandable that such a stylish looking lady would have had a commanding presence.

When we characterize a person by their outward appearance it usually relates to an inner beauty. We do not comment on a person's superficial outward appearance if what is on the inside is not attractive. For example, when we work or interact with a person who is attractive in their appearance, we wouldn't necessarily comment on it unless we thought that the person was also attractive in their character and actions. When we recognize beauty it certainly refers to the inner person as well as the superficial outward appearance. The combination of inner attractiveness and personality added to her looks.

Once on campus, Burrell made an effort to get to know others. She would leave Bacon Hall on her lunch hour in order to meet others. (29) Dr. Smith remembered her as a senior faculty member who went out of her way to meet the new faculty and to concern herself with them. (30) She was the type of individual who liked to be involved with other people. She was very visible and well known on campus.

She was involved in numerous organizations on campus, as well as professional organizations, and community organizations. It seemed that each year she was heading at least one organization or more. (31) Two of her favorites in which she stayed active in until her death in 1981 were, the "Committee for World Affairs," and the "World Hospitality Association." (32) These organizations gave her the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of people from around the world.

Her desire to know other people can be seen by her work in child development, human relations, and international education. It is necessary to further define human relations according to Burrell because it is a broad topic and can mean many different things. Also, it gives tremendous insight into her as a person, what she thought, what was important to her, and it further defines her as an individual.

She was instrumental in setting up human relation's workshops. She published an article in School and Society (1954) that reviewed one such workshop she had directed. It is worth highlighting some of her thoughts, which underscores the kind of person Burrell was:

        The art and science of human relations, the ability of all
    people of all kinds to live and work together in the same world at
    Peace ... Attention to the basic needs of people tends to decrease
    frustration and aggression, lessening tensions and making people
    able to be more friendly; that people can live and work together
    harmoniously regardless of differences of religion, race, national
    origin, social or economic status, intellectual ability or political
    affiliation; that the present world situation forces us to marshal
    all skills of co-operative endeavor to strengthen democratic
    society; and that group effort and group intelligence yield greater
    results than any member of the group could produce alone. (33)

Here one can see her concern with meeting people's basic needs, a continuation of her concern for child development, but at a broader level. The emphasis was on the skills and abilities that enable people to cooperate with each other. Her interest in international education comes through when she refers to the world situation, specifically what needs to be done to lessen the tension that was prevalent in the 1950s. The human relations aspect encompasses both these ideas and concentrates on the importance of meeting peoples basic needs to lessen tensions in order to create a more harmonious society.

She developed and directed numerous workshops in human relations to teach her ideas. She established a reputation in the human relations field outside of the Buffalo. A telegram was sent to President Harvey Rice at Buffalo State from Rutgers University asking that Burrell be allowed time off in September of 1955. Rutgers was holding a faculty symposium on human relations and thought Burrell could be a contributor. (34)

She went to Rutgers University the next summer and directed a workshop there. (35) She also took her message to the local community, often speaking to local PTA groups, teachers and local organizations. One such panel discussion she headed in Kurtztown, Pennsylvania dealt with how and what we teach our students. She spoke of slanted textbooks not only by the presentation of color, but also by the occupations that were portrayed. Instead of the businessman in a suit in tie, she advised portraying fathers in their work clothes. (36) She advocated that teachers use supplementary materials to present geography, history and people. (37) She ended her talk with, "helping children learn how to get along with other folks, regardless of race, religion or color is the most important lesson you have to teach." (38)

Today, professors of education at Buffalo State College still teach a very similar message. Textbooks, especially history texts used in elementary and secondary education often portray only the white, middle to upper class American perspective. One required reading today at the College is Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything your American History Textbook Got Wrong (39) The focus of the book is to combat stereotypes that we teach our students. The other focus in education is diversity. Burrell's idea that teachers need to integrate and teach diversity to their students is still an issue at the forefront of education today.

Among her publications that dealt with students was a pamphlet used for teacher in-service training programs, The Do's and Don't's of Needs Theory. (40) The "Needs Theory" dealt with issues that teachers needed to address in order for their students to progress in their learning. The pamphlet alerts the teacher on how to deal with some everyday problems as well as more difficult problems that students face. She gave specific examples of what should and should not be done concerning students. In her "Needs Theory" she described the students need for self-respect, the need to have a guiding purpose, the need to be free from fear, and the need for achievement in order for students to learn.

Along the lines of child development she developed the college course School and Society, in 1964. (41) Almost forty years later it is still a required course in the Buffalo State College elementary education program, (EDF203). The course brought together her "Needs Theory" and how to address the needs of students to improve society as a whole.

Another work she published was a partial bibliography in the field of human relations. (42) The purpose of it was to offer a wide variety of source material for teachers, community leader, future teachers, and workshop participants to use. Her comments following the bibliographic information are not only interesting, but can be used as reference point for teaching in the period 1936-46. She listed a variety of source material in such areas as: prejudice and discrimination, race and relations, religions of the world, social class, and included films and stage scripts. In essence she took her ideas on human relations and child development and incorporated them, so that teachers could instill these principles in their students.

She also promoted her ideas internationally by lecturing on human relations and social psychology at Jabalpur University, India as a Fulbright Professor, in 1959-60. International education, which enabled American students to study outside the United States was probably Burrell's greatest passion. She is well remembered for her contribution in this area at Buffalo State College. (43)

Burrell was appointed to the prestigious position of Director of the India Project. Her responsibilities included publication of the program, developing a revised proposal for specified funds, recruiting and preparing mature motivated students to participate in international exchange, and developing course clusters related to the study of India. (44) Burrell felt her purpose in working with these students, "was for them to understand that they have to make a contribution and that one's attitude is important." (45) She accompanied two groups of students (1968-69 & 1970-71) from Buffalo State College to India to study. She patterned her own life on the premise of making a contribution for the betterment of others.

Dr. Mann saw Burrell bringing her human relations interest to international education so she could use cultural difference to highlight how different people are from one another, yet could all bring their competence to the environment. (46) She was very active on campus bringing faculty together to support, organize and discuss international education. This enabled her to promote that the difference of others contributes to the learning environment.

Burrell retired from the college in 1972 as a senior faculty member. The college had undergone much change in the twenty-four years she taught there, but in some areas change came slowly. By 1971, the Elms pictures eight faculty and approximately twenty-five students that were African American. (47)

Burrell believed her main contribution to the College was in the area of teaching. She tried to instill the following philosophy in her students,

    First of all, you come into the classroom with an open mind and you
    realize that education is a meaningful thing. In a culture in which
    you are going to live, you have got to have some information which
    you will be able to do a job well and to realize that in doing the
    job well, it means not only the things, but the attitude that you
    have. (48)

She felt her reward from teaching was, "being remembered with kindness." (49) The college recognized Burrell's contribution to education by dedicating a suite of rooms to her at Bacon Hall and establishing the "Dr. Anna P. Burrell Underrepresented Minority Scholarship" fund. (50)

The responsibility for others to contribute and give back to society was the focus of her work. This could be seen to stem from her upbringing. Historians who have studied early 20th century African American history note the theme of "up-lift the race." (51) This referred to the responsibility of the individual who became educated or who succeeded in a particular area. Those particular individuals had an obligation to help others in the African community to succeed.

In an interview Burrell commented, "You have to behave yourself because every place you go--somebody's going to be there." (52) She was referring to her role as an educator. She was very much aware that her behavior set an example for her students. Her husband, Robert, became an elected judge in the city of Buffalo. So, her behavior both on and off campus would have been open for general scrutiny by the public. The way she led her entire life was by example, even from her earliest days at the University of Pennsylvania. The difference one can find with Burrell and the theme "uplift the race," was that she applied it to all people.

When Dr. Burrell submitted her resignation to Buffalo State College in June 1972, College President, Dr. E. K. Fretwell Jr. responded,

      Your concern for people and especially the nourishment of
    understanding among people of various socio-economic backgrounds,
    emotional levels and ethnic heritages have been the dominant theme
    of your public and private life. All of us here at the College--
    students, faculty and staff--have benefited from your example. (53)

Fretwell's comments seem to capture the essence of what Burrell was all about.

Dr. Anna Porter Burrell, had set forth this challenge, "How will you make a difference as you go forward in your life? What doors will you open?" She answered her own questions: "You must effectively help the individual approaching the door [to] enter and feel wanted." (54) Dr. Burrell was one of the rare individuals who was comfortable with who she was. She did not have the agenda of "me" first. Her concern for others, the dignity of the individual was what was important to her. This enabled her to work at the college, earn the respect of those she came in contact with, to get her message out, to be able to be a "first," and most importantly open the door, or make the "quiet break through," so that others could follow.

(2) Dr. E. O. Smith of Buffalo State College, interview by author, 28 September 2001, Buffalo, tape recording.

(3) Historical Statistics of Black America, ed. Jessie C. Smith and Carrell P. Horton (New York: Thomson Publishing, 1995), p535.

(4) Lucy Slowe. "Higher Education of Negro Women," Journal of Negro Education (2), 3 (1933): 352-358.

(5) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980, Butler Library special collections, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(6) Ibid. Additionally, students whose parents worked as professional were the highest percentage enrolled in college. Female students received 72% of their financial support from home versus male who only received 18.7%. Thompson, Chas, "The Socio-Economic Status of Negro College Students," The Journal of Negro Education (2), January 1933. P 30 & 32.

(7) Bieenial Survey of Education 1926-1928, (Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1930), 822.

(8) Jaohn M. Fagagher and Florence Howe, Eds., Woman and Higher Education in American History: Essays from the Mount Holyoke College Sesquicentennial Symposia. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988. See essay, by Jeanne Noble. The Higher Education of Black Women in the Twentieth Century, p.87-106.

(9) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980, Butler Library special collections, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(10) Ibid.

(11) This was the only indication that the author found that Burrell ever felt personally discriminated against. Out of a faculty of 172, 13 were women. Bieenial Survey of Education 1926-1928, (Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1930), 779.

(12) Anna P. Burrell, Education the Key to Access. Buffalo: State University College, 1967. A copy of her address can be found in the Burrell Faculty File at Butler Library, Buffalo State College.

(13) Anna Porter Burrell, "Facilitating Learning Through Emphasis on Meeting Children's Basic Emotional needs, An in-service training program", (Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1949). Also available at Butler Library, Archives, BSC, Buffalo.

(14) Burrell, Anna, "American Education, The Contribution to the Dignity and Worth of the Individual", The Jounal of Educational Sociology (21), (1947-1948): 442-453. No reference or notes were given for her editorialized history lesson of past or present educational practices.

(15) Mary Delmont, the Butler Library archivist said it was unusual that there was so much information in her faculty file, that is not usually the case. One can speculate that this may have been done because of her race or because that she had such a commanding presence and was such a well-respected faculty member.

(16) Herbert L. Seamans, New York City, NY, to Dr. Harry W. Rockwell, Buffalo, NY, January 11, 1946, in (Faculty file of Anna Burrell, E.H. Butler Library, Archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY, hereafter cited as Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(17) Mr. Myron Short, Buffalo, NY, to Dr. Harry W. Rockwell, May 21, 1946, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(18) Dr. Horace Mann, interview by author, 1 October 2001, Buffalo, tape recording.

(19) Dr. Dan W. Dodson, New York City, NY, to Dr. Harry W. Rockwell, Buffalo, NY, December 16, 1947, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(20) Harry W. Rockwell, Buffalo, NY, to Anna Burrell, April 26, 1948, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(21) Anna Burrell, New York City, NY, to Dr. Harry W. Rockwell, February 18, 1948, (Anna Burrell Faculty file). In this letter Burrell expresses her appreciation for the opportunity to meet with Dr. Rockwell on Feb. 14. Letter from Burrell, Feb 1946 and Letter from Dan Dodson, Dec., 1947, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file), mentioned her work in psychology at New York University.

(22) "Application for Position in State College for teachers or State Teachers Colleges," July 8 1948, Butler Library, archives, Burrell papers, faculty file. Buffalo State College, Buffalo. Her application also noted her husband's job position in the Buffalo community.

(23) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980. Butler Library, archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(24) Joyce Fink, interview by author, 8 October 2001, phone interview.

(25) Ibid

(26) Ibid. Additionally, Horace Mann suggested there was resistance to diversity by a very white campus. He used the example that they referred to the Jewish students as the students from New York City.

Additionally, Joyce Fink thought it must have been hard on Burrell because she doubted she was treated equally. E.O. Smith described the campus as having little diversity along racial lines, but quite diverse by gender.

(27) Joyce Fink, interview by author, 8 October 2001, Buffalo, phone interview.

(28) Thomas Quatrche, October 2001, Hamburg interview questions by mail. Dr. Quatrche described her, "as outgoing, bright, well groomed and educated". Fink described her as, "elegant, absolutely elegant, bright, articulate." From Mann, "she had savoir faire, elegant, style, and competence. From Smith, "elegant woman, dressed beautifully, a lot of class, interested in people."

(29) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Marin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980, Butler Library, archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(30) Dr. E.O. Smith, interview by author, 28 September 2001, Buffalo, tape recording.

(31) Because her organizational involvement was so extensive, they have been listed in Appendix A.

(32) Buffalo Courrier Express, Sunday, March 8, 1953 "Educator Will Visit India". Additional, interview with Sister Martin Joseph p. 10 & 17.

(33) Burrell, Anna "The Workshop Way of Learning", School and Society, (79) May 1954.p. 154-155.

(34) Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, to President Harvey Rice, September 6, 1955, a Western Union Telegram, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(35) "Personnel Information Request, undated, Butler Library, archives, Burrell papers--faculty file, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(36) Kurtztown Patriot. PA, in (Microfilmed Anna Burrell Papers, folder number 7, Archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY).

(37) Ibid.

(38) Ibid.

(39) One such book that is often required in education classes regarding history is, Lowen, James, W., Lies My teacher told me: everything your American history textbook got wrong, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996).

(40) Burrell, Anna and Raths, Louis, The Do's and Don't's of Needs Theory, New York: Modern Education Service, 1954. Additionally, this information was taken from Burrell's dissertation, chp. 6 p. 144. The Co-author Rath was the Director of Research at NY University. She wrote a letter of recommendation to Dr. Rockwell concerning Burrell in 1948.

(41) Buffalo State College Course Catalogue, Fall 1964. Promotion package, dated December 19, 1964, Butler Library, Archives, Burrell Faculty File, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(42) Burrell, Anna. Partial Bibliography on Human Relations, 1953, no publisher or printer given. Available at Butler Library, stacks HM132.B8, 1952a, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(43) Those interviewed, Smith, Fink, and Mann, all spoke of her interest and enthusiasm in this area.

(44) Carlton E. Bauer, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Buffalo, NY, to Dr. Anna Burrell, Oct. 9, 1969, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(45) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980.

(46) Dr. Horace Mann, interview by author, 8 October 2001, Buffalo, tape recording.

(47) Elms, Buffalo State College Yearbook, 1962 & 1971. Butler Library, Archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(48) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980, Butler Library, archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(49) Ibid.

(50) "Suite of Rooms named for late Dr. Burrell," The Liason, Spring 1987, Butler Library, Archives, Buffalo State College. Dr. Anna P. Burrell Underrepresented Minority Scholarship, Buffalo State College Catalogue, 1999-2001, Butler Library, Buffalo State College. The scholarship first appears in the catalogue in 1999. Additionally, the scholarship is designed to support an academically, talented minority individual.

(51) Stephanie Shaw, What a Woman Ought to Be and Do, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).

(52) Dr. Anna Burrell, interview by Sister Martin Joseph, tape recording, 7 August 1980, Butler Library, archives, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

(53) E.K. Fretwell Jr., Buffalo, NY, to Dr. Anna Burrell, June 8, 1972, in (Anna Burrell Faculty file).

(54) Anna P. Burrell, Education the Key to Access, (speech presented at Honors Convocation sponsored by Kaapa Delta Pi), April 27, 1967, Butler Library, Archives, Burrell Faculty File, Buffalo State College, Buffalo.

Karen Lettko (1)

(1) Karen Lettko teaches Global and U.S. History at West Seneca Alternative High School, West Seneca, NY. This article was first written as a research paper in her senior research seminar in the History and Social Studies Education Department at Buffalo State College.