Former county Welfare Department director Homer E. Detrich, who for 22 years helped transform his agency from a small office into the county's biggest operation, died yesterday at 71 after a long fight against cancer.
Mr. Detrich, who retired 11 years ago, died at his home in Santa Rosa.
His prominence extended beyond San Diego. He won international awards for helping repatriate displaced persons during World War II and later was president of the state County Welfare Directors Association.
Born in Hanford, Mr. Detrich graduated from UCLA with a degree in inorganic chemistry and later studied public administration at USC. He spent a short time working for a Portland cement company and then joined the Army, a move that altered the course of his life. During World War II he worked in Army intelligence directing the repatriation of a half-million displaced persons, refugees made homeless by the war.
"That's how he became interested in people. Here was a man with an inorganic chemistry engineering degree who changed his whole orientation toward people," said Patricia Lansford, his executive assistant for seven years. "He later got medals from the king of Norway and the Polish government for his work in repatriating displaced persons."
After he left the Army, Mr. Detrich returned to UCLA and graduated with a degree in social work. He then spent eight years working his way through the ranks in the Los Angeles Public Welfare Department. During this time he took a leave of absence to serve as the state's civil defense coordinator in Sacramento. He was named San Diego's welfare director in 1957.
"It was a very high-profile job," said Lansford, now chief of program support for Children's Services for the San Diego city Department of Social Services. "He came in at a time when welfare fraud was a real hot item. He was highly respected and worked closely with the Board Supervisors to implement things that were good for the county and for his service population."
Mr. Detrich, who retired in September 1978, once said his most significant achievement was decentralizing the county's welfare system in 1963, a move that brought services closer to people eligible for them.
Under him, his department grew. It mushroomed from a small, centralized office with 450 employees to the county's biggest operation with nine offices and 2,500 employees. Today, there are 31 offices and 3,300 employees.
During his retirement years, Mr. Detrich kept active. Among other things, he served on the board of the San Diego Center for Children. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Garden Chapel of Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.
Mr. Detrich is survived by his wife, Marianne; a sister, Joy Miller of Redding; two sons, Robert of Carlsbad and John of New York, and two daughters, Dorothy Jean Normark of Sunnyvale and Barbara Gallagher of Santa Rosa.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Children in Need Inc. or Home Hospice of Sonoma County.
San Diego Union-Tribune, November 10, 1989
-------------------------------------
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name: Homer Detrich [Homer E Detrich]
Birth Date: 13 Sep 1917
Birth Place: Lemoore King, California
Death Date: 8 Nov 1989
Father: Jacob G Detrich
Mother: Neva J Buckridge
Notes: Dec 1936: Name listed as HOMER DETRICH;
03 Jun 1993: Name listed as HOMER E DETRICH
Mr. Detrich, who retired 11 years ago, died at his home in Santa Rosa.
His prominence extended beyond San Diego. He won international awards for helping repatriate displaced persons during World War II and later was president of the state County Welfare Directors Association.
Born in Hanford, Mr. Detrich graduated from UCLA with a degree in inorganic chemistry and later studied public administration at USC. He spent a short time working for a Portland cement company and then joined the Army, a move that altered the course of his life. During World War II he worked in Army intelligence directing the repatriation of a half-million displaced persons, refugees made homeless by the war.
"That's how he became interested in people. Here was a man with an inorganic chemistry engineering degree who changed his whole orientation toward people," said Patricia Lansford, his executive assistant for seven years. "He later got medals from the king of Norway and the Polish government for his work in repatriating displaced persons."
After he left the Army, Mr. Detrich returned to UCLA and graduated with a degree in social work. He then spent eight years working his way through the ranks in the Los Angeles Public Welfare Department. During this time he took a leave of absence to serve as the state's civil defense coordinator in Sacramento. He was named San Diego's welfare director in 1957.
"It was a very high-profile job," said Lansford, now chief of program support for Children's Services for the San Diego city Department of Social Services. "He came in at a time when welfare fraud was a real hot item. He was highly respected and worked closely with the Board Supervisors to implement things that were good for the county and for his service population."
Mr. Detrich, who retired in September 1978, once said his most significant achievement was decentralizing the county's welfare system in 1963, a move that brought services closer to people eligible for them.
Under him, his department grew. It mushroomed from a small, centralized office with 450 employees to the county's biggest operation with nine offices and 2,500 employees. Today, there are 31 offices and 3,300 employees.
During his retirement years, Mr. Detrich kept active. Among other things, he served on the board of the San Diego Center for Children. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Garden Chapel of Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.
Mr. Detrich is survived by his wife, Marianne; a sister, Joy Miller of Redding; two sons, Robert of Carlsbad and John of New York, and two daughters, Dorothy Jean Normark of Sunnyvale and Barbara Gallagher of Santa Rosa.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Children in Need Inc. or Home Hospice of Sonoma County.
San Diego Union-Tribune, November 10, 1989
-------------------------------------
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name: Homer Detrich [Homer E Detrich]
Birth Date: 13 Sep 1917
Birth Place: Lemoore King, California
Death Date: 8 Nov 1989
Father: Jacob G Detrich
Mother: Neva J Buckridge
Notes: Dec 1936: Name listed as HOMER DETRICH;
03 Jun 1993: Name listed as HOMER E DETRICH
Former county Welfare Department director Homer E. Detrich, who for 22 years helped transform his agency from a small office into the county's biggest operation, died yesterday at 71 after a long fight against cancer.
Mr. Detrich, who retired 11 years ago, died at his home in Santa Rosa.
His prominence extended beyond San Diego. He won international awards for helping repatriate displaced persons during World War II and later was president of the state County Welfare Directors Association.
Born in Hanford, Mr. Detrich graduated from UCLA with a degree in inorganic chemistry and later studied public administration at USC. He spent a short time working for a Portland cement company and then joined the Army, a move that altered the course of his life. During World War II he worked in Army intelligence directing the repatriation of a half-million displaced persons, refugees made homeless by the war.
"That's how he became interested in people. Here was a man with an inorganic chemistry engineering degree who changed his whole orientation toward people," said Patricia Lansford, his executive assistant for seven years. "He later got medals from the king of Norway and the Polish government for his work in repatriating displaced persons."
After he left the Army, Mr. Detrich returned to UCLA and graduated with a degree in social work. He then spent eight years working his way through the ranks in the Los Angeles Public Welfare Department. During this time he took a leave of absence to serve as the state's civil defense coordinator in Sacramento. He was named San Diego's welfare director in 1957.
"It was a very high-profile job," said Lansford, now chief of program support for Children's Services for the San Diego city Department of Social Services. "He came in at a time when welfare fraud was a real hot item. He was highly respected and worked closely with the Board Supervisors to implement things that were good for the county and for his service population."
Mr. Detrich, who retired in September 1978, once said his most significant achievement was decentralizing the county's welfare system in 1963, a move that brought services closer to people eligible for them.
Under him, his department grew. It mushroomed from a small, centralized office with 450 employees to the county's biggest operation with nine offices and 2,500 employees. Today, there are 31 offices and 3,300 employees.
During his retirement years, Mr. Detrich kept active. Among other things, he served on the board of the San Diego Center for Children. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Garden Chapel of Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.
Mr. Detrich is survived by his wife, Marianne; a sister, Joy Miller of Redding; two sons, Robert of Carlsbad and John of New York, and two daughters, Dorothy Jean Normark of Sunnyvale and Barbara Gallagher of Santa Rosa.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Children in Need Inc. or Home Hospice of Sonoma County.
San Diego Union-Tribune, November 10, 1989
-------------------------------------
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name: Homer Detrich [Homer E Detrich]
Birth Date: 13 Sep 1917
Birth Place: Lemoore King, California
Death Date: 8 Nov 1989
Father: Jacob G Detrich
Mother: Neva J Buckridge
Notes: Dec 1936: Name listed as HOMER DETRICH;
03 Jun 1993: Name listed as HOMER E DETRICH
Mr. Detrich, who retired 11 years ago, died at his home in Santa Rosa.
His prominence extended beyond San Diego. He won international awards for helping repatriate displaced persons during World War II and later was president of the state County Welfare Directors Association.
Born in Hanford, Mr. Detrich graduated from UCLA with a degree in inorganic chemistry and later studied public administration at USC. He spent a short time working for a Portland cement company and then joined the Army, a move that altered the course of his life. During World War II he worked in Army intelligence directing the repatriation of a half-million displaced persons, refugees made homeless by the war.
"That's how he became interested in people. Here was a man with an inorganic chemistry engineering degree who changed his whole orientation toward people," said Patricia Lansford, his executive assistant for seven years. "He later got medals from the king of Norway and the Polish government for his work in repatriating displaced persons."
After he left the Army, Mr. Detrich returned to UCLA and graduated with a degree in social work. He then spent eight years working his way through the ranks in the Los Angeles Public Welfare Department. During this time he took a leave of absence to serve as the state's civil defense coordinator in Sacramento. He was named San Diego's welfare director in 1957.
"It was a very high-profile job," said Lansford, now chief of program support for Children's Services for the San Diego city Department of Social Services. "He came in at a time when welfare fraud was a real hot item. He was highly respected and worked closely with the Board Supervisors to implement things that were good for the county and for his service population."
Mr. Detrich, who retired in September 1978, once said his most significant achievement was decentralizing the county's welfare system in 1963, a move that brought services closer to people eligible for them.
Under him, his department grew. It mushroomed from a small, centralized office with 450 employees to the county's biggest operation with nine offices and 2,500 employees. Today, there are 31 offices and 3,300 employees.
During his retirement years, Mr. Detrich kept active. Among other things, he served on the board of the San Diego Center for Children. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the Garden Chapel of Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.
Mr. Detrich is survived by his wife, Marianne; a sister, Joy Miller of Redding; two sons, Robert of Carlsbad and John of New York, and two daughters, Dorothy Jean Normark of Sunnyvale and Barbara Gallagher of Santa Rosa.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Children in Need Inc. or Home Hospice of Sonoma County.
San Diego Union-Tribune, November 10, 1989
-------------------------------------
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name: Homer Detrich [Homer E Detrich]
Birth Date: 13 Sep 1917
Birth Place: Lemoore King, California
Death Date: 8 Nov 1989
Father: Jacob G Detrich
Mother: Neva J Buckridge
Notes: Dec 1936: Name listed as HOMER DETRICH;
03 Jun 1993: Name listed as HOMER E DETRICH
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