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IU School of Social Work Alumni Association
Alumni Profiles
Tom Temple
Tom was a graduate school classmate of mine from 1961-63. He and his wife, Ingrid, are originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. They now live in Lebanon, IN, where they have resided since the early 1960’s.
Ingrid’s aunt was a social worker who had gotten her degree at the University of Chicago. She was a very dynamic person who always had many interesting stories to tell about Hull House, the University of Chicago and her work in the child welfare field. Tom was influenced by her to the extent that he decided that he, too, wanted to become a social worker.
A minister that Tom and Ingrid knew in Salt Lake City had attended Indiana University in Bloomington and he spoke fondly of his memories of the beautiful campus and his positive college experience there. Tom applied for admission to the IU Division of Social Service as the graduate program was then called. Because of the great distance involved, Tom was allowed to be interviewed by an IU alum in Salt Lake City instead of traveling to Indiana for an interview. The alum was not a social worker but she had also attended IU on the Bloomington Campus and had very positive comments about it and her time there. Tom was accepted for admission to the Division of Social Service and since no one had told him otherwise, he assumed he would be attending classes in Bloomington, on that beautiful campus. Surprise!!! He found out shortly before he and Ingrid were to leave Salt Lake City that he would be attending classes on the (then) not so beautiful “campus” of the Division of Social Service in Indianapolis which consisted of one old building on Michigan St., between Pennsylvania and Delaware Sts. The library was in another old building around the corner which was called the IU Extension. He finally made it to Bloomington for our graduation ceremony in 1963. Tom’s undergraduate degree is in sociology and psychology from the University of Utah.
Upon graduation from IU, Tom had a job waiting for him at the Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home in Lebanon, IN as their first full-time social worker. However, he first served in the Army for six months of active duty as part of his National Guard obligation. He was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY and Ft. Jackson, SC. As he tells it, the Army Company Commander noticed that he had a Master of “Arts” degree from IU so they put him to work painting posters! When he completed his active duty later in 1963, Tom started working at the United Methodist Childrens’ Home as planned. During the thirty-five years that he worked there, he was a caseworker at first, then the supervisor of group life, then the residential director, and finally the associate director of the Home. He retired in 1998.
Tom has been involved in a number of various service projects. He is the Secretary of the Lebanon Utility Services Board and the Secretary of the Storm Water Management Board. He has tutored elementary school students. He regularly visits a ninety-nine year old woman who was formerly the Director of Child Welfare Services in Marion County. He helped to rehabilitate an old home which is now called Shalom House and serves as a community center in Lebanon. He has been a Trustee in his church and also does computer work for the church which involves graphics and photos. He is active in Kiwanis and helps with getting back to school supplies for children in need as well as helping with their annual pancake dinner.
Tom and Ingrid have two daughters and four grandchildren. One of their daughters is a social worker and the other is a computer consultant. The Temples enjoy traveling and especially enjoy spending time with their daughters and their families in Colorado and in the Chicago area.
Tom has a wonderful sense of humor and I will be forever grateful to him and his buddy, another classmate named Ed Gatke, for helping us to have fun and laugh during those times in graduate school when we weren’t studying or otherwise involved in serious matters.
Written by Irene Weinberg
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
