Eugene P. Schwartz. Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Social worker Eugene Phillip Schwartz was active well into old age — he danced at his 95th birthday last September.

Schwartz, who died May 31 from complications from a fall, was also very active in the social work and criminal justice fields, according to this obituary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He became head of the Metropolitan Youth Commission in 1959 and led efforts to prevent juvenile crime in the St. Louis area. Later he founded the University of Missouri-St. Louis criminal justice department.

Even after retiring Schwartz continued to inspire professors with his message of social justice. He wrote hundreds of letters to politicians and newspaper editors in support of universal healthcare, gun control and human rights.

“He just helped lay the foundation of one of the most outstanding departments on campus,” said Blanche Touhill, former UMSL chancellor. “He hired really good people interested in research and teaching.”

SocialWorkersSpeak.org offers its condolences to Schwartz’s widow, Ruth, their children and grandchildren.

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