In 2013, NCFR marks its 75th anniversary, and that is reason to celebrate.

Formed in 1938 as the National Conference on Family Relations, our organization has evolved into the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary study and understanding of families.

NCFR staff and members of the 75th anniversary advisory committee have several initiatives planned that will…

• Celebrate the organization’s history and contributions to family scholarship, education, and service, including 75 years of the Journal of Marriage and Family.
• Demonstrate the accomplishments of NCFR members in studying families, educating family scholars and educators, and advocating on behalf of research and programs that lead to stronger families.
• Highlight the changing nature of families, marriage and relationships, and parenting, and the future role of NCFR as the leader in research and education of families.

How are we commemorating 75 years of growth, outreach, and service?

For starters, we have the following:

The History Project

Mary Jo Czaplewski, past executive director, is working on a comprehensive review of NCFR through the decades.

Jason Samuels, IT director, has retrieved hundreds of documents from the NCFR archives and is curating articles, reports, proceedings, and historical publications to compliment the narrative.

Conference consultant Cindy Winter is acquiring and organizing additional materials and ideas from long-time members and her own 40+ years as the NCFR conference director.

Much more will be coming in the near future. For an easy introduction, check out the historical videos already posted.

NCFR 75^th Annual Conference

Special celebratory events include:

• 75^th Anniversary Address:  A special presentation by well-known researcher, author, and speaker Stephanie Coontz. This session is the lead-off for the 75^th anniversary celebration event.
• Anniversary Fiesta:  Following the Anniversary Address….food, fun, music, and memories as we celebrate in the Tex-Mex style.
• NCFR history session:  Jason and Mary Jo will lead a Special Session about the NCFR History Project.
• History on display:  NCFR history depicted through artifacts, signage, stories, and more

Historic communications

• Zippy e-News:  Editor Nancy Gonzalez will include NCFR history notes in the weekly e-newsletter.
• NCFR Report magazine:  Assistant Editor Charlie Cheesebrough will provide 75^th anniversary celebration updates including more details about how members can be involved.
• CFLE: Director Dawn Cassidy is working with CFLEs to provide announcements and recollections in CFLE communications
• NCFR website/social media:  Watch for announcements, stories, photos, and historic moments on the website and in Facebook by Allison Wickler, online community manager.

Watch for more details to come!