A Foundation for Child and Family Welfare: the Legacy of Grace Martin Highley
Grace Martin Highley (1895–1985) was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame for laying the foundation for child welfare practices across the state. Her descendants, Karen Lockhart (granddaughter), Cheryl Zimiga (granddaughter), and Toni Hansen (great-granddaughter), recently joined Steve Flanery, South Dakota Hall of Fame Board Director, for a conversation about Grace’s lasting impact in South Dakota.
“‘The best thing you can do is listen to the child’ is something she said often,” shared Grace’s granddaughter Karen.
Grace Martin Highley was born in 1895 on her family's homestead near Hot Springs. She had no graduate training in welfare services, but instead, gained her training through first-hand experience. After moving to Hot Springs due to the Great Depression, Grace took on the position of Relief Worker for the Fall River County Commissioners, where she was to decide which families should be given federal money to buy food. The first family she visited lived in a cave, had nine children, and only milk from six goats and flour.
This experience solidified her lifelong dedication to the welfare of children in the state. By 1939, she became the director of South Dakota Child Welfare. For 21 years, she built a nationally-recognized program based on the needs of children and on goals and professional training–which did not exist in 1939. Grace’s program became a model for different states across the country, and South Dakota is considered to have one of the best programs for child and family welfare within the United States.
“She really believed in supervision. She believed in goals and policies to create protection,” shared Grace’s granddaughter Cheryl.
Throughout her career, Grace became a skilled practitioner who knew social work theory well. Though she had a dedicated career, she always had time for her family. Her great-granddaughter Toni shared a story of how Grace would sit with her to share a glass of water and said, “That was how she bonded with me; she noticed me, and I felt seen by her.”
In 1978, Augustana College awarded Grace an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for her leadership and service in helping those in need. She continued into her 80s to mentor and serve as an unofficial advisor to agencies and individuals, all while “keeping an eye on the child.”
Learn more about Grace Martin Highley on her Legacy Page here.