Eula Cousins

BIOGRAPHY

Eula Cousins was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, USA, on 14 September 1902. She was the daughter of John and Mary Jane Taylor and was raised in a Christian family. She was educated in the public schools and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Virginia Union College (now Virginia Union University).

In 1929, she moved to Philadelphia to continue her education. After arriving, she studied early childhood education at Temple University and later attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. She began her career with the city’s Welfare Department, where she worked with families to assess their eligibility for assistance, as well as with the blind, the elderly, and the unemployed. She later became a caseworker for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and went on to serve as a probation officer in Municipal Court, working with dependent and delinquent children. Although she attempted to retire at the customary age, she was called back to serve as a counselor and coordinator of crafts for the Young Men’s Hebrew Association.

In 1935, she married William M. Cousins. Together, they were long-standing and active members of the First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia. He passed away in 1981. Eula was also deeply involved in volunteer work, contributing her time to the NAACP, the hospice program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and both the YWCA and YMCA, where her husband had served on the board of directors. She was also a member of the Philadelphia chapter of Frontiers International and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Eula Cousins passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 29 January 2013, at the age of 110 years, 137 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Love lifted her to age 110” – Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 September 2012

* “Eula Cousins, 110 yrs. of loving and helping” – Philadelphia Inquirer, 7 February 2013

* “Eula M. Cousins, 110, social worker” – The Philadelphia Tribune, 8 February 2013

* “Eula M. Cousins, 110, pioneering black social worker and educator” – The Philadelphia Tribune, 9 February 2013

GALLERY

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