NASW Foundation National Programs

NASW Social Work Pioneers^®

Louis Edward DeMoll, Jr. (1919- )

Louis Edward DeMoll, Jr. has been a leader in the community mental health community for more than thirty years. He has held positions in the Texas Department of Health (1958-1968) and in the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (1967-1968). DeMoll planned and directed the development of community services throughout Texas. From 1968 until 1988 he taught in the school of social work at the University of Texas at Austin and currently is a retired professor emeritus.

His expertise has been recognized by the National Institute of Mental Health where he was appointed to several national advisory committees concerned with community mental health, mental hospital improvement and social work education. Furthermore, his public service work has included volunteer leadership roles with the United Way and the Community Planning Council of Austin. In 1970, the Texas Chapter of NASW named him Social Worker of the Year. In 1992, an endowed Presidential Scholarship in the name of Louis E. DeMoll was established by the University of Texas.

DeMoll received his master of social work degree in 1949 at Tulane University. In 1958, he earned an Advanced Certificate in Community Mental Health from Columbia University. He currently resides in Austin, Texas.