Specific Pioneering Contributions
George A. Appleby, PhD, MSW (1942–2024) is remembered as a social work educator, policy practitioner, and community-engaged researcher who led the social work response to HIV/AIDS. His legacy is evident today in the professionalization of social work in public agencies; in the sustained political activism of social workers, schools of social work, and NASW; and in the vibrant network of community-based organizations dedicated to the health and well-being of LGBTQIA2S+ populations. Appleby’s research and writing on social work with lesbian and gay families and communities had national and international reach, expanding social workers’ understanding of and commitment to culturally responsive research and practice.
Appleby’s early practice experiences in the Connecticut Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Child Welfare led to his interest in professionalizing public social service positions and expanding access to social work careers for the diverse communities being served. In the late 1960s, state agencies recruited bachelor’s degree holders from various social science disciplines. Baccalaureate social work programs were not yet accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and BSW graduates were not recognized by NASW as professional social workers. Appleby joined Betty Baer, Millie Charles, Ron Federico, and other social work educators in the West Virginia Undergraduate Social Work Curriculum Development Project (Baer & Federico, 1979), which identified generalist social work competencies and cleared the path to BSW accreditation.
Appleby guided curriculum development at the two existing BSW programs in Connecticut—those at Saint Joseph College (today the University of Saint Joseph) and Southern Connecticut State College (today Southern Connecticut State University). In 1974 and 1975, these became the first BSW programs in Connecticut and among the first nationally to earn CSWE accreditation. The subsequent growth of accredited baccalaureate social work education throughout the U.S. opened access to the profession for previously underrepresented student populations.
Appleby joined the full-time social work faculty at Southern Connecticut State in 1977. He rose through the academic ranks to become full professor in 1985 and professor emeritus in 2009. He served in administration as department chair, associate dean, and in two deanship positions. Notably, Appleby was among the first social work educators to integrate content on gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues into the social work curriculum and to introduce a course on AIDS: A Social Work Response. His teaching was inseparable from his community activism.
In the 1980s, as Appleby was building his academic career, the HIV/AIDS pandemic was decimating gay communities. In the words of Paul Kuehn, Appleby’s husband (Personal communication, February 7, 2025):
George saw our friends dying, and he realized that we needed to do something in this community. We didn’t have a way to focus our energy on saving people’s lives. George was an educator and a social worker. His areas of expertise were in community activism, community action, as well as policy. He knew what it took to put together a community agency.
In 1984, Appleby led a coalition of volunteers, social workers, and health care professionals in founding AIDS Project New Haven (today, APNH—A Place to Nourish Your Health), a nonprofit, community-based organization. As Chris Cole, the current Executive Director of APNH, recalled (Personal communication, February 5, 2025):
Up until that time, the only dedicated care and services available for folx living with HIV were based on individual generosity and volunteer efforts. George understood the importance of professionals providing services and the importance of case managers establishing relationships and trust to ensure that those who faced tremendous stigma and judgment received quality, compassionate care delivered with dignity and respect. He was critically influential in the passage of the Connecticut HIV Confidentiality Act in 1988, ensuring that individuals living with HIV could maintain their confidentiality and, in many cases, their livelihoods and dignity.
APNH, the first HIV/AIDS organization in Connecticut, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary of “providing access to high-quality, relationship-based, holistic care to inspire health and well-being and to empower people at risk of, or impacted by, HIV, substance use, mental illness, and related conditions” (APNH, 2025).
Appleby’s widespread community leadership in Connecticut included service as Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on AIDS, Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on AIDS – New Haven, president of the Connecticut Association of School Social Workers, and co-chair of a successful task force to establish a Connecticut Department of Aging. As a founder of APNH, Appleby applied for federal funding through the Ryan White Care Act, passed in 1990 to help states, communities, and families cope with the impact of the AIDS epidemic. Appleby went on to chair the Ryan White Care Act Planning Council for New Haven and Fairfield Counties and later chaired both state and national Ryan White Care Act Planning Councils. Through these roles, he supported communities across the U.S. in building their capacities to provide health care and social services to individuals at risk of, or living with, HIV/AIDS.
Appleby was a transformative leader of the NASW Connecticut Chapter (NASW/CT) and remained active in NASW throughout his career. As President of NASW/CT (1990–1992), he encouraged community activism and political engagement by social workers, schools of social work, and their constituents. He appointed the chapter’s first AIDS Task Force, established the chapter’s PACE (Political Action for Candidate Election), and initiated Student Lobby Day at the State Capitol. During his tenure, NASW/CT advanced the professionalization of social work by supporting the establishment of a Training Academy in the Department of Children and Families (DCF), negotiating for the title protection of social workers in DCF and other public agencies, preparing for social work licensure in Connecticut, and successfully advocating for the passage of the Social Work Confidentiality Act in 1992. Appleby enhanced the political capacities and goals of the NASW/CT chapter and laid the groundwork for its ambitious legislative agenda today.
At the national level, Appleby chaired major NASW committees, including the Nominations Committee, Child Welfare Committee, Political Action and Advocacy Committee, and the Committee on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues. He also served on comparable committees of the Council on Social Work Education.
In the view of Stephen Wanczyk-Karp, Executive Director of NASW/CT from 1989 to 1999 and 2001 to 2024 (Personal communication, February 8, 2025):
George understood the need for grassroots legislative action, and the chapter’s grassroots action model was guided by his commitment to organizing members. This has paid huge dividends for the profession over the years.
At heart, Appleby was a pathbreaking educator. As Chris Cole, current APNH Executive Director, recalled:
In the early ’90s, George put himself and his reputation front and center and brought HIV/AIDS to the attention of many. He brought the conversation to Southern Connecticut State University and beyond. A man walked into APNH yesterday morning. He said he was there for an HIV test and handed me a $100 check in memory of George. He then told me that the very first time he ever heard about HIV or AIDS was from George, when he was in his 20s and George was teaching at Southern. George was one of the first educators to bring in people living with HIV and lived experience to speak to students at Southern. George began the conversation and never let it end.
Career Highlights
Appleby earned his B.A. from the University of Connecticut (1965), his MSW from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1970), and his Ph.D. from Columbia University School of Social Work (1986). He entered the profession in the Connecticut Department of Public Welfare (today, the Department of Social Services) and the Department of Child Welfare (today, the Department of Children and Families), and he remained involved on advisory boards and task forces throughout his career. His early positions as a hospital social worker at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and the Veterans Administration prepared him for later health care advocacy. In social work roles with the Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center and the Bloomfield Board of Education, he gained experience in community collaboration.
Appleby served on the social work faculty at Southern Connecticut State University from 1977 to 2008. He rose to full professor in 1985 and professor emeritus in 2009. He also held leadership positions as department chair, associate dean, dean of the School of Social Work, and acting dean of the School of Health and Human Services. He taught 15 different courses related to policy practice, research, social work with organizations, and practice with culturally diverse and oppressed populations. From his base at Southern, Appleby consulted locally and nationally with social work educators and community agency leaders. He served as visiting faculty and doctoral advisor at Adelphi University, Fordham University, Smith College, the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, and the University of Sydney (Australia).
Appleby served as a grants administrator, principal investigator, or grant writer for approximately $10,000,000 in community-based agency or university funding. These funds were related to the Ryan White Care Act, university research support, private insurance and foundation grants, and support from the U.S. Bureau of Child Welfare, the American Bar Association, and the Connecticut Departments of Human Resources, Mental Health, and Children and Families.
Appleby was a prolific researcher and writer. In addition to academic articles and books, he raised community awareness through columns and frequent articles in local newspapers, community newsletters, and NASW chapter and national newsletters—often focusing on topics related to HIV/AIDS. He gave annual presentations at the national NASW and CSWE conferences, and he was regularly invited to present at national meetings of the American Sociological Association, the Child Welfare League, the American Public Health Association, and other professional social welfare associations. Between 1985 and 1990, Appleby delivered more than 100 presentations related to AIDS issues on most television stations in Connecticut, many regional radio stations, and to a wide range of fraternal and civic organizations and churches.
As with many Social Work Pioneers, Appleby’s legacy is felt through his relationships—as teacher, friend, and mentor to students, colleagues, community leaders, and generations of social workers around the world. He left behind a courageous example of standing up to hatred, organizing for social justice, and never backing down.
Biographic Data
George A. Appleby was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on February 18, 1942, to the late George A. and Mildred Ware Appleby, and he lived in Connecticut for most of his life. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Arnold and James Appleby. Appleby was married to Paul Kuehn, his life partner and husband of 40 years. He died at the age of 82 on March 7, 2024.
Significant Achievements and Awards
Appleby was named NASW/CT Social Worker of the Year in 1984, and he received the NASW/CT Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2024, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, APNH constructed a new porch dedicated in his honor—The George A. Appleby Porch.
Significant Publications
Appleby, G. A., & Anastas, J. W. (1997). Not Just a Passing Phase: Social Work with Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People. Columbia University Press.
Appleby, G. A. (2001). Working-Class Gay and Bisexual Men. Harrington Park Press.
Appleby, G. A. (1998, 2008). Social work practice with LGBT people within organizations. In Gerald Mallon (Ed.), Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Appleby, G. A., Colon, E., & Hamilton, J. (2001, 2007, 2011). Diversity, Oppression, and Social Functioning: Person-in-Environment Assessment and Intervention (3rd ed.). Allyn & Bacon.