Thorn and Rose Award Fund
This fund supports an award for an MSW student who demonstrates academic progress transformation into a positive role model.
Established in honor of Professor Emeritus Bertha Laury, this fund provides an award to a Master of Social Work (MSW) student who has blossomed from a “thorn” into a “rose” while attending the MSW program. The award is not necessarily presented every year, but only on rare occasions.
The Bertha S. Laury Thorn and Rose Award was established by faculty, alumni, and community leaders in honor of Laury, the Emeritus Associate Dean for Community Affairs for the School of Social Work.
Laury, who died in 2012, was known for developing Buffalo’s first infant day care, and working diligently to reduce teen pregnancy. She served as the first chairwoman of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, and was also the first black female presdent of the board of Health Care Plan.
