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Florene Stewart Poyadue Papers
MSS-2006-09-01
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Title: Florene Stewart Poyadue papers
Dates: 1967-2005
Bulk Dates: 1985-2001
Collection number: MSS-2006-09-01
Creator:
Poyadue, Florene Stewart
Collection Size:
9 record cartons, 2 boxes, 2 flat boxes
19.5 linear feet
Repository:
San Jose State University. Library.
San Jose, California 95192-0028
Abstract: Shortly after her fourth child was diagnosed with
Down's syndrome, Florene Stewart Poyadue became involved with Parents
Helping Parents (PHP), a Santa Clara Valley based local support network
for parents of disabled children. Under her direction, Poyadue transformed PHP
from a small local support group to a prototype for parent resource networks.
Items in this collection document Poyadue's unwavering commitment to PHP,
and highlight how her vision and work impacted the lives of countless families
and child health resource providers. Under Poyadue's leadership, PHP became
a United Way agency in 1985, and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services in 1990 as the model for parent-to-parent resource centers
across the nation.
Physical location: Vault 1, Range 22B
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has been assigned to the San Jose State University Library Special
Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jose State University
Library Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and
is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Florene Stewart Poyadue papers, MSS-2006-10-18, San Jose State
University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Florene Stewart Poyadue was born in 1934, one of 12 children who were raised
in a three bedroom house in Lovejoy, Illinois. Immediately following high school,
she earned a nursing degree from St. Mary's Infirmary School of Nursing in St.
Louis, Missouri. Around the same time she married Octave Poyadue and started a
family. For nearly twenty years Poyadue worked as a nurse in several different
cities, moving as Octave's military career necessitated. The family finally
settled in the Bay Area after Octave retired from the military. In 1975, Poyadue
earned a Bachelor of Vocational Education degree from San Jose State University.
Prior to graduation, Poyadue gave birth to their fourth son Dean, who was
diagnosed with Down's syndrome. The only advice that doctors and hospital
staff gave her regarding her son's diagnosis was to "take him home and love
him." Frustrated with the lack of support and information available about
her son's condition, she reached out to other parents. Poyadue soon after,
joined forces with Elayne Bagwe and Gita Dedek, who had recently started a parent
resource group called Parents Helping Parents (PHP). Soon after
joining them, Poyadue convinced Bagwe and Dedek that she could take the organization further, and
she became the acting director, a position she held until retirement in 1998.
From the moment Poyadue took charge of PHP in 1976, the organization flourished.
She left her job to work with PHP full-time and immediately incorporated the
organization as a non-profit and wrote its bylaws. In 1979, Georgette Strohm
joined PHP as assistant director, and together they expanded the
organization's focus from support group to full-service family resource
center with an annual symposium, a library, and regular workshops for doctors
and family members. Throughout her years with PHP, Poyadue authored several
publications and partnered with several health-care providers including Kaiser
Permanente.
Poyadue went on to earn a master's degree in Marriage/Family/Child
Counseling from Santa Clara University in 1983. In 1985, PHP was asked to
become a United Way Agency, and in 1987 Poyadue accepted the Senator Lloyd
Bentsen Award at a conference of the U.S. Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.
In 1991 the U.S. Department of Health designated PHP as a national center on
parent-direct resources. In 1993 Santa Clara University awarded her an honorary
doctorate and invited her to address the graduating class.
In 1998, Poyadue retired from PHP, with over 20 years of dedicated service.
During her tenure with PHP, Poyadue was honored by the Santa Clara County Board
of Supervisors and the Diocese of San Jose. The city of Houston proclaimed
June 14, 1987 "Florene Stewart Poyadue Day" and in 1990 she received
the Family Achievement Award from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation and the
Women of Achievement Award from the San Jose Mercury News and the Women's
Fund.
Between 2005 and 2006, PHP provided over 23,000 direct services to children,
families and the professionals serving them, over 3,000 attended PHP parent
education sessions and/or support events, and over 12,000 individuals attended
parent education, information and outreach sessions. Florene Stewart Poyadue's
work with PHP remains a national model for family resource centers for children
with special needs, and the organization's continued success is a testament
to her years of service.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Florene Stewart Poyadue Papers consist of administrative files,
publicity and outreach material, photographs, and audiovisual material
created by Poyadue and Parents Helping Parents (PHP) during her
tenure with the organization. Poyadue's work with PHP transformed the
organization from a small local support group to a national and international
prototype for parent resource networks. Items in this collection document
her contributions to PHP, and highlight how her vision and work
impacted the lives of so many. Under Poyadue, PHP became a United Way agency
in 1985, and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services in 1990 as the model for parent to parent resource centers
across the nation.
The Florene Stewart Poyadue Papers are organized into four series:
Administrative Files, Audiovisual & Visual Material, Publicity &
Outreach Material, and Personal Material.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection
in the library's online public access catalog.
Poyadue, Florene Stewart
Parents of children with disabilities-Services for
Parents of children with disabilities-Social networks