BARBARA WILLIAMS WHITE, loving mother, grandmother and sister passed away peacefully on July 19, 2019, at her home surrounded by her family. She was the eldest of three girls born to Ernestine Cliett Austin and her husband Willie Austin on February 26, 1943, in Macon, Georgia.

She was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and was educated in the Duval County public school system. She was a proud graduate of the 1960 class of New Stanton Senior High School. Upon graduation from New Stanton Senior High, she continued her education at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Fraternity; White and Gold Honor Society; and elected Miss Florida A&M University 1963-64. She was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Music Education.

Additionally, she received a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (summa cum laude); a Master of Social Work; and a Doctor of Philosophy from Florida State University (FSU). Later she served as associate dean at the FSU College of Social Work, where she also directed the master's degree program and received a University Teaching Excellence Award.

She raised her family in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was a member of St Michael's and All Angele Episcopal Church and an active member of Links, Incorporated, before she re-located to Austin, Texas. She was appointed the first African American dean in the University of Texas at Austin in its history. For her hard work and tireless effort, she was awarded the University's
Presidential Citation in 2012-the highest University Award. Her work catapulted the school into a nationally recognized position of leadership.

Upon her retirement in 2011, Barbara was named dean emeritus in honor of her outstanding 18 years of leadership and a distinguished career, where she oversaw the education and training of thousands of social workers, contributed to the knowledge of many more through scholarship; she led with compassion and integrity.

Barbara was an accomplished scholar in the areas of cultural diversity, women studies and domestic violence. She was actively involved in social work education, and was the only person in her profession to hold the presidencies of both the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). She was also very active in community service, serving on boards of many organizations.

Barbara Williams White was preceded in death by her mother, Ernestine Cliett Austin and her husband Willie Austin; her sister, Cassandra Lynette Austin. Survivors include her devoted daughters, Tonja White Mathews (Raymond, Jr.) and Phaedra White Abbott (Patrick), and their father, Dr. Julian E. White; sister, Claudette Austin Gibbs (Leroy); grandchildren, John Julian Burt and Mallory Michelle Mathews; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, colleagues, and special friends-of-the-heart.