Temple’s first African American dean and the first female academic dean of the 20th century, Vargus was affectionately known as the “Mother of Family Reunions” after founding the Family Reunion Institute at Temple in 1990.
Dean Emerita Ione Vargus is remembered as a trailblazing leader, serving as Temple’s first African American and female academic dean and founding the Family Reunion Institute.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Temple University Dean Emerita Ione Vargus—the university’s first African American and first female academic dean—passed away on Dec. 20, 2025. Affectionately known as the “Mother of Family Reunions,” Vargus founded the Family Reunion Institute at Temple in 1990.
“Dr. Ione Vargus broke barriers at Temple while never losing sight of why the work mattered—people, families and community,” said Jennifer Ibrahim, dean of Temple’s Barnett College of Public Health. “She led with warmth, compassion and a genuine respect for others. That people-first approach continues to shape the work we do today at the Barnett College of Public Health.”
Vargus began her storied career at Temple in 1974 as associate dean of Temple’s former School of Social Administration after being a professor at Brandeis University and the University of Illinois. In 1978, she was promoted to dean, breaking ground as the first Black academic dean in the university’s history and the first female academic dean of the 20th century. In total, she served for 17 years as dean and associate dean of the School of Social Administration. Vargus later became acting vice provost for undergraduate education and a presidential fellow at Temple.
“I had the honor of working closely with Ione when she was dean of the School of Social Administration in the 1980s. She was an outstanding leader, mentor for students and colleague,” said Chancellor Richard M. Englert. “I am grateful for the many occasions in the Council of Deans and other university venues where she passionately reminded us all of our responsibilities to serve the most vulnerable persons in society.”
“It’s important for our social work students today to understand the advocacy and incredible contributions of those who have gone before and who led the school to now make the difference it does today,” added Philip McCallion, director of the School of Social Work. “Dean and Vice Provost Vargus was such a historic leader for the school and for the profession of social work.”
Vargus’ graduate studies and experience as a social worker in Chicago and Boston inspired a lifelong commitment to strengthening families and promoting reunions as a way to enhance identity, self-esteem and family values. In the 1980s, she began researching the importance of family reunions in African American culture. Following the movement north to Boston and south to the Carolinas and at all stops in between, she spent months collecting data at reunions, where she conducted in-depth interviews as a participant-observer.
This research led to the establishment of the African American Family Reunion Conference in 1988, which attracted families from all over the U.S. who were interested in planning and maintaining their own events. She also produced a radio documentary on family reunions for Temple-supported public radio station WRTI. Vargus then created Temple’s Family Reunion Institute in 1990, the only organization of its kind in the United States. After retiring, she served as a volunteer for the institute.
“Some say the African American family is dying. I say it lives on,” Vargus told Temple Now in 2011. “Family reunions have become a part of the permanent fabric of this country’s society. This has particular significance because individuals and families control the reunion as an institution. There is no dependence on government and little dependence on monies outside the family. The participants are willing; the goals are meaningful.”
A recognized authority on family reunions, Vargus was interviewed or quoted by nearly 400 national and local publications and appeared on radio, TV and online shows. In 2020, she released her book Black Family Reunions: Finding the Rest of Me, which explores the social and psychological benefits of having reunions and offers guidance on planning and holding such events.
Temple Libraries held a virtual book launch with Vargus and a conversation with Bernard C. Watson and Richard Englert that was moderated by her son Bill Vargus and daughter Suzanne Vargus Holloman. The event was part of The Dr. Ione D. Vargus Lecture Series, spawned from the Dr. Ione Vargus Program Fund that she established. Additionally, Vargus decided to have her family reunion archives housed in the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple.
“Dr. Vargus inspired and impacted generations of students and many lives,” said Diane Turner, curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. “She was a gift to all who had the pleasure of meeting her. She possessed a remarkable ability to combine her work with her sincere compassion for people.”
Vargus earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Jackson College at Tufts University and a master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago. She received a PhD in social policy and administration from Brandeis University.
Her work led to numerous honors including being named One of 498 Hardworking Women in Pennsylvania in 1978 and being appointed chair of the Philadelphia Foundation in 1983. Additionally, she received the History Makers Education Award in 2006 and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who in 2017.