School Alumni Associations

IU School of Social Work Alumni Association

Alumni Profiles

Merlin Outcalt

I was born in Reedsburg, Wisconsin on August 26, 1928. I am the youngest of eight.  I was drafted at age 22 and served in the Army in Korea as a Chaplain's Assistant where I did some counseling. My interest in social work stemmed from the fact that I had some extended family members who were Clergy and I was leaning in that direction too. As a result of doing some counseling in the Army, taking some undergraduate sociology and psychology courses, joining the Social Service Club on campus, along with my continuing interest to be of service to others, I decided to become a social worker.  

I graduated with a BS from Indiana University in 1955 and an MASW in 1957.  I earned my bachelor's degree on the Bloomington campus and my master's in Indianapolis where I attended classes at the east Michigan St. location, between Pennsylvania and Delaware Sts., where the federal building now stands. My graduate school field  work placements were at the Marion County Department of Public Welfare and the Marion County Juvenile Court.  To pay for graduate school,  I used the GI Education Bill, worked part time and was granted the Marion County Juvenile Court scholarship with a commitment to work at the Juvenile Court at least two years after graduation.  I had high regard for Hayden Rahm, my supervisor, and  Bart  Anson, the unit supervisor, at the Court.  Parenthetically, I studied in the masters program for 2 years to be a caseworker and was only in a casework position for two years. However, those two years at IU Division of Social Service gave me a broad knowledge that enabled me to meet the Administrative challenges along the way.
           
After working two years at the Juvenile Court I was offered a newly created supervisory position at Travelers Aide, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a United Way Agency assisting travelers. After I was in that position for a couple months the Executive Director of the agency became ill and later died.  The Board then appointed me as Executive Director.  During the next five years Travelers Aide changed from being a train and bus meeting service for travelers into a newcomer social service agency for Appalachian people migrating to the city looking for better opportunities.
           
In 1965 I accepted the Executive Director position of Methodist Youth Services in Chicago. It was a new, developing agency with a United Methodist Board of Directors. The program was designed to treat 18 – 21 year old boys who were known to Boy’s Court because of delinquent and criminal charges. The goal was to help them learn to live in their own community, close to their friends and family, while living in an open setting without getting into further trouble with the law.            

In 1968, the United Methodist General Board of Health and Welfare Ministries asked me to be their Child Care Consultant. During the next six years I consulted with the 72 United Methodist Child Care Agencies and organized annual workshops and helped organize annual Health and Welfare Convocations.
           
In 1974 I joined Group Child Care Consultant Services (GCCCS) attached to the North Carolina University School of Social Work at Chapel Hill, NC as its Executive Director.  The small staff of 5 professionals sponsored annual training workshops for Child Care workers and did child care agency consultation primarily in the Southeast. During that time GCCCS secured a contract with the US Children’s Bureau to develop an in service training curriculum for child care agencies to use.
           
In 1977 we moved back to the Midwest to Decatur, IL where I was appointed Executive Director of Webster Cantrell Hall, a childcare agency. There were only 17 youth being served in its two programs, the residential center and a group home.  During the next 17 years the agency added 12 new services – such as Foster Families, Adoptions, in home counseling, and on grounds education. A new Group home was built, a new residential wing was built connecting to the old building which was gutted and converted into counseling and administration offices. A new education wing and new gym and recreational facility were added and funding was secured to pay for the 4.5 million dollar building project. The agency became accredited by the Council on Accreditation in 1993.  I retired as Executive Director/CEO in 1993, at which time the Administration Building at Webster Cantrell Hall in Decatur, Illinois was named the Merlin B. Outcalt Administration Building.  I continued there picking up the Public Relations/Fund Raising Portfolio on a part time basis. My successor as Executive Director had been my associate for many years so the transition was seamless.  I retired the second time in 1997, 40 years after graduation from the IU Masters Degree Program.  Thank you IUDSS. 

I supervised Graduate Social Service Students from George Williams College in Chicago, Ohio State University in Columbus, and the University of Illinois at Champaign. I  also taught a class at University of North Carolina School of Social Work, Chapel Hill.   In 1993 I became an accredited Peer Reviewer with the Council on Accreditation and reviewed 1 or 2 Child and Family Service Agencies each year until retiring from this in 2007.

I was a member of the NASW and an ACSW from 1957 – 2006.  I have been honored with the following professional awards:  Social Worker of the Year, 1995, NASW, Southern Illinois Chapter; Executive Appreciation,            1988, Mental Health Association of Macon County, IL;   Indiana University School of Social Work Alumni Association Outstanding Alumnus, 1996; and Executive of the Year 1993 and 2003, Human Service Agency Executives, Decatur, Illinois.
                                               
 I married Ruth Ann Auble in 1950 and we have now been married for 57 years. and we have three sons. Steven, our youngest, died 25 years ago by suicide. There were no suicide support groups in Central Illinois at that time, so Ruth Ann and I, with the help of the Mental Health Association, started one which we convened monthly for over fifteen years.  Roger, our oldest, has an MSW from IU and is in Private Practice in the Indianapolis area.  Dennis, our middle, has a Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology and is with a technology firm in Houston, Texas.  My wife and I now live on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

Ruth Ann and I have two hobbies, camping and volunteering. We had pop up trailers for 30 years and traveled extensively with our children and families. We have had a travel trailer for 11 years. Besides family camping and vacation traveling we have done volunteer work with it for ten years. We are United Methodist NOMADS who are RV owners. We do three week work projects in the south during the winter time. I served on the NOMADS National Board of Directors for 4 years.
           
My wife and I have been members of the United Methodist Church since 1952 and we have both served in many capacities in our local churches. She taught Sunday school for 17 years. I was elected delegate to the Annual Conference for 24 consecutive years. I was elected by the United Methodist Jurisdictional Conference to serve on the United Methodist International General Board of Global Ministries for 8 years.  I received the Denman Evangelism Award in 1991 from the United Methodist Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference.       

Ruth Ann and I received the award forSignificant and Meritorious Service to Mankind in 1994, from the 
Sertoma Club ofDecatur, IL.  I was a member of the Rotary Club from 1978 to 2004.

One of the highlights of our life was the incorporation of Pat, at the age of 17 when her mother died, into our lives and our home. She is our “heart” daughter along with her husband, children and grandchildren. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

See the IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations Calendar of Events for upcoming School of Social Work alumni programs.

School of Social Work web site 

IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations contact:
Karen Deery, (317) 274-8959 or kdeery@iupui.edu