Joseph W. Eaton, born Josef Wechsler (September 28, 1919 – October 15, 2012), was an American sociologist who published widely in the fields of social work, sociology, public health, and public and international affairs.
After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Joseph's parents arranged for him and a younger brother to emigrate to the United States by themselves, with the assistance of the German Jewish Children's Aid program;[4] two older brothers had already left for Palestine.
In 1943 he was drafted into the Army, and thanks to his language skills was assigned to Camp Ritchie and became a journalist for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), with duties that included writing leaflets to be dropped behind enemy lines.
[5] By that time he had changed his last name to Eaton (the name of his foster family), out of concern for the safety of his parents, who were then living in the Netherlands, under Nazi occupation.
He is credited with the creation of a masters of social work research major there, and, in the 1980s, organized the dual degree program between Pitt’s School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.