The following are the 1970-76 contributions and heavy responsibilities of the creator of the School of Communicative Disorders, associate dean Gerald F. Johnson, Ph.D.

 

In addition to being responsible for the identification of teaching assignments, curricular offerings and class schedules, requirements of the major and certification of completion of the required program for majors, Johnson initiated and led program development, revision, organization and operation. He also assumed primary authority for the allocation of summer assignments, extension teaching, travel funds, secretarial help, student assistants and work study assignments and for the approval of consultantships. Also in line with what would be the school’s revised personnel rules of February 14, 1976, he directed the preparation of federal proposals and ensuing programs, directed and administered budget determinations and was the school spokesperson in dealing with the dean of the College of Professional Studies, Arthur Fritschel.

During the meeting of July 26, 1972, Johnson was delighted to report that the school had received approval of a $100,000 federal grant for speech and hearing science.

More specifically, during this period (1970-76), Johnson led determinations relative to such policy matters as not spreading the supervision too thin in reaching out to satellite clinics, faculty cuts being imposed by higher administration, procedures for the determination of merit, targets for teaching and supervisory loads (a formula involving 180 hours of teaching credits and 180 hours of supervisory credits), a position paper from the education of the deaf faculty and a moratorium relative to that emphasis area, re-investing a position in a second person in language disabilities, initiating a dean’s student advisory committee (with undergraduate student Jill Stein serving much of this period as the representative to the school’s faculty meetings), giving preference to the academic program or the summer sequence program, new federal laws for affirmative action (governing sex and minority discrimination), a faculty evaluation scale, the formation of a RAPTS (retention, appointment, promotion and tenure) committee, a selection process for the assistant dean, and a policy statement for the purpose of determining retention and/or tenure.

One of the best sources of historical information about the school was a publication of the student Speech and Hearing Association entitled The Missing Link that came out about once a month for at least the period of September 21, 1972, through the February 11, 1975. Students Bill Sellmeyer, Vern Morgan, Jill Stein, Susie Puntil, Jim Oliger and Beth Witt were instrumental in getting The Missing Link started. Various faculty contributed letters, students wrote informative articles and the associate dean nearly always contributed update information about the program in an article entitled “From The Horse’s Mouth.” Johnson wrote articles on topics such as “Why the profession decided to make the master’s degree the minimal training degree” and “Contributions our alumni and present students made toward getting communicative disorders listed in the university mission statement.”

As an example, the following are excerpts from an article Gerald Johnson wrote when the communicative disorders program was one of many being considered for phasing out (September 11, 1973, issue, p. 5):

 

"Welcome back to UWSP. The start of this new academic year is already very eventful. As most of you know, Central Administration of the UW System published a report which called for closing graduate programs at some of the universities in the state - including Stevens Point. You can just imagine the enthusiasm THAT generated amongst the faculty in the School of Communicative Disorders. Numerous documents were generated to attempt to forestall that decision and letters of support of our program were written by some of you and a number of our graduate students. [ ... ]

During this period Gerald E. Chappell was the coordinator of graduate studies. As spokesman for the hardworking academic committee, he advanced and got approved issues and guidelines and/or policy statements relative to the following documents: Approval of the faculty for teaching graduate courses, a policy statement for graduates on probation, intra-school guidelines for thesis credit, format for graduate student advisory committees, statement of admission to candidacy for a master’s degree, modification of guidelines for students in communicative disorders and revision of the school requirements for the master of science degree.

The academic committee also accomplished: completion of the graduate coursework in education of the deaf, advancement of graduate course changes and proposals through the graduate council and initiation of the revision of the graduate requirements in audiology and in speech-language pathology (which were not really completed until 1975).

Gerald Johnson reflectively comments (e-mail correspondence October 1, 2002) on the passion of the ComD faculty meetings:

 

"As far as faculty meetings were concerned, we wanted to get it right!!!!! Because so much was riding on our success or failure. Many within the university would have loved to have us blow away. They viewed us as the sacred cow (my paranoia I am sure, but that is what comes from fighting the system all the time). Anyway, we were all great thinkers and philosophers and young Ph.D. people with grand ideas. I think we were also products of hard times from society, unpopular war, etc. I also think in some respect we were tired of the fighting to keep the program viable. In a strange way this attitude seemed to permeate the faculty meetings. We all had families and we were used to making decisions and doing things our own personal way and I think this came to bear on trying to do the right thing."

The coordinator of graduate studies was also responsible for graduate student recruitment, correspondence, course enrollment, grievances and everything else, for example, at the January 27, 1972, faculty meeting, Chappell reported that the school had signed up 17 graduate students, had 33 more folders being completed and 15 more students were making inquires. On June 6, 1972, Chappell announced that the summer graduate program had 45 students enrolled.

Chappell was in his glory because he was now teaching and supervising relative to two undergraduate language therapy courses and two graduate level language courses.

This is a good time to reiterate that the students were always special, remarkably hardworking and often inspiring. Each faculty instructor was highly demanding of their academic effort, relentlessly pushing them to learn the critical content of his or her coursework.

 

In addition, each supervisor closely monitored and scrutinized heavy student practicum experiences above and beyond their classroom challenges.

Gary Nix, replacing Miss Betty Blyth, joined the school in the fall of 1971 to assume a role as director of education of the deaf. Nix, working hand-in-hand with Neil Lowell for one year and then two years with Canadian newcomer Perry Leslie, Ph.D., as he replaced Neil, taught all courses (sometimes as many as four) and covered much of the practicum supervision for a rapidly growing body of students. Nix taught foundations of education of the hearing impaired, language for the deaf and hearing impaired and methods of teaching the deaf and hearing impaired, while Leslie was the instructor for total communication, counseling and guidance of the deaf and hearing impaired, language for the deaf and hearing impaired, speech for the deaf and hearing impaired and curricula for the deaf and hearing impaired.

During this period, the remarkable personnel in education of the deaf developed an unmatchable curriculum and attracted a striking number of students. The trio reached out statewide in multiple ways to relate the program in education of the deaf and our students to all aspects of their profession. Neil Lowell had been the backbone in developing and teaching the strong undergraduate base: speech, language and methods of teaching the deaf and hearing impaired. As Lowell parted from the program in the spring of 1972, he was nominated by the students for the Distinguished Teaching Award and was also given the following proclamation by the faculty of the School of Communicative Disorders.    

 

"Whereas, Mr. Neil Lowell, for most of his employment since 1969, has assumed leadership for the development of education of the deaf major and whereas, Mr. Lowell’s personal and professional dedication to the deaf has influenced our own direction and philosophy; and whereas, Mr. Lowell has touched all of our professional and personal lives with his friendship and typical Maine conservatism: now, therefore, be it resolved, that the faculty in the School of Communicative Disorders has valued our relationship with Mr. Lowell; and be it further resolved, that the faculty knows that Mr. Lowell’s future contributions to the deaf will be as profound as they have been at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point."

 

The following are excerpts from memories that Gary Nix, Ph.D., offered (email statement, October 30, 2002) about his years with ComD at Wisconsin State University-Stevens Point:

"One of the most memorable things I remember about the Center for Communicative Disorders was the graduate/faculty lounge where we had rap sessions with faculty members in the collateral areas of communicative disorders such as speech pathology and audiology. It was a real cross fertilization of fields and ideas which I feel benefited all of the Com D students. The clinic cases which we shared provided us with the opportunity to learn from other faculty members as well as teaching our students. I never again found that kind of camaraderie and stimulation of ideas at other universities.

The teaming of faculty and students to work with the clients in the Center for Communicative Disorders brought perspectives that no one discipline could have provided [ ... ]

Although the education of the deaf program was only at Point a short time, it is still impacting the field today. The excellent caliber of students led to employers seeking to hire them to teach hearing impaired students in their programs. Some went on and completed their Ph.D.s and are still teaching at the university level. Dr. Elizabeth Wilkes is known for her work in the area of language intervention with the deaf. Dr. Alice Holmes moved into a Ph.D. in Audiology and teaching at the university level. [ ... ]

Another fond memory which I had was the periodic parties in the park which the students would have and invite the faculty to attend. Some beer, brats, a Frisbee and a guitar or two and we had a chance to develop a closer relationship between students and faculty."

 

Among the reasons for the discontinuance of the program in education of the deaf was, financially, that the UW System had to cut programs and it was convenient for UWSP to eliminate that costly major while it was still young. The reason, however, for ending the program that the personnel of the school accepted, including those in education of the deaf, was that the popularity of the program had mushroomed its attendance beyond the training needs of the state and beyond the deaf clientele needed for due practicum experiences.

Donald Aylesworth, Ph.D., serving all three years of this period as director of awards and grants, led the identification of award recipients (including outstanding junior), guided his committee and advanced issues and policies to the faculty relative to Office of Education Traineeships (graduate and senior), university graduate assistantships, university student assistant funds and other summer and state stipends, while also continuing to refine the criteria for the evaluation of applicants and the assignment of award amounts.

Continuing his role as teacher and supervisor in speech pathology, he taught the courses in anatomy and physiology, treatment of neuromotor disorders, aphasia, cleft palate and would soon take over popular coursework in gross anatomy wherein the students dissected human heads and upper torsos. Regarding the gross anatomy coursework, Jensen and Aylesworth went to Madison and met with those affiliated with the cadaver donor system state mortuary and arranged for a yearly supply. Jensen taught the gross anatomy course until he left. Then Aylesworth took over.

Anyone who sat in on deliberations during faculty meetings was aware of Aylesworth’s ability to cut right into the core of an issue and attack it straight on. Excerpts from the following faculty article in The Missing Link are exemplar of his sage perspective:

 

 [ … ] "You may have noticed that faculty, just as students, are not carbon copies of the same mold. We may differ in our professional modus operandi, approaching problems somewhat differently. These differences are healthy and advantageous to us all. Ultimately, it should allow students to find that approach which meets the needs of those requiring help. Just as important, however, is the fact it should lead to being "professional selves."

Directors of the Center for Communicative Disorders-Frederick Tyszka, Ph.D. and Judith Pratt, Ph.D.

Fred Tyszka, Ph.D., taking over as the director of the Center for Communicative Disorders during the 1972-73 academic year, made many contributions toward establishing the new center‘s clinical program, for example managing a therapy caseload of 75 in the summer of 1972, shifting our commitment at St Michael’s Hospital to a consultant arrangement and initiating a working relationship with River Pines Convalescent Home, the Portage County Home for the Aged and the Wausau Medical Center. Tyszka also taught an amazing amount of graduate coursework in aural rehabilitation, theories of hearing, clinical audiology, hearing aids and pathologies of the auditory mechanism. It was the efforts of Wentland and Tyszka that first established some of the great satellite diagnostic and treatment connections.

Judith Pratt, Ph.D., joined the program mid-year of the 1973-74 academic year to offer a second teaching and supervisory perspective for the language disabilities emphasis. Her expertise in speech and language pathology equipped her to take over the directorship of the treatment center.

 

The news release from the University News Service (November 15, 1973) introduced Pratt:

"Dr. Judith Pratt is the new director of the Center for Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She ranks as one of few women nationwide as head of such an operation on an American campus, according to Dr. Johnson, assistant dean of the school of communicative disorders who made the appointment. The center serves about 200 Central Wisconsin residents of all ages who have a variety of speech and hearing disorders.

The new director has plans for the faculty and upper-level student-operated facility. She will apply recent techniques in clinical situations. In the case of children, that will involve having parents present during therapy to determine whether the youngsters achieve more rapidly in that kind of setting.

A native of Detroit, she came here this fall from the speech and hearing sciences faculty at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Before that she was a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and still earlier on the staff of California State University in San Jose and four years as a speech and language clinician in Mountain View, California. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California in Los Angeles."

Jack Curtis, also joining the school in the fall of 1971, immediately assumed the role of the coordinator of communication science labs. Curtis came just in time to give the program the electronic expertise needed to set up the speech and hearing science labs along with the TV and intercommunication systems for viewing activity in the therapy and diagnostic rooms. Curtis became the key person for guiding training efforts relative to the speech and hearing science emphasis. During this period, Curtis, Tyszka and Leonard were instrumental in analyzing the noise pollution in the Stevens Point community. Curtis’ teaching job, which was to teach phonetics and phonemics, principles of speech and hearing science and theories of hearing, was the most difficult of the collective faculty, but his strong unyielding philosophy convinced students of the importance of speech and hearing science in their training.

La Rene Tufts, whose expertise covered teaching and supervision in both audiology and speech pathology, served all three years as the coordinator of undergraduate studies. During her tenure in that position, along with the help of a committee, she led the refinement of the undergraduate pre-professional program that specified and executed policies on advising, enrollment and course sequencing for freshmen through senior students.    

Besides being the school’s liaison person for the placement and evaluation of student teachers, Tufts’ teaching assignments included: communicative disorders in school children and rehabilitation of auditory disorders.

As director of library resources, Dennis Nash, Ph.D., managed all issues under a $3,000 to $4,000 library budget while being responsible for the purchase of books, selection of periodicals, addition of films and acquisition of graphic arts. Nash had the library representative role until he was elected as the coordinator of graduate studies in 1974. Nash also re-initiated a Laryngectomy Club and became involved in the American Cancer Society. As a speech pathologist, Nash’s supervisory and teaching assignments in the school speech pathology emphasis area included: normal development of human communication behavior, seminar in communicative disorders, advanced studies in voice pathology and advanced methods in articulation pathology.

As far as other faculty, Karen Carlson joined the program in the fall of 1971 and in the spring, Marilyn Perlmutter, doing so as full-time speech and language supervisors. Speech-language supervisors Cathie Law and Mary Sommers, along with education of the deaf supervisors Karen Lucht and Kathy Bennet, all joined the school during one semester or another of the 1972-73 academic year and Linda Stombaugh came aboard for the second semester of the 1973-74 academic year. The supervisors made many contributions to the improvement of the practicum experiences.

William Meyer, Ph.D., picked up the teaching of disorders of articulation, disorders of voice and fluency, the neurological bases of normal and pathological speech and language, advanced studies in stuttering and cleft palate. Jensen taught phonetics and phonemics and disorders of voice and fluency.

The Missing Link (Sept. 11, 1973, p. 2) offered the following remarks about Gary Glascoe:

 

"Coming to us from a wide background of experience is audiologist Gary Glascoe, between his junior and senior year, he took a four year break to be a Merchant Marine, motorcycle bum, professional drummer and an oral surgeon technician in the Army. After finishing his last year, he went on to get his M.A. from Western Michigan University. Glascoe taught at UW-Stevens Point in 1966-67 and then at Almira College, New York, for two years. After finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Denver, he served as a clinical audiologist for the Denver Otologic Group. Finally, he returned to UWSP this fall and is presently teaching basic procedures in audiology and audiometry and hearing aids I. Replacing David Nelson, Glascoe would also teach aural rehabilitation and hearing aids II."

 

Carol McGee continued to be the school’s administrative secretary; Karen Ramczyk was hired as the first clinical secretary and Donna Senski started in the fall semester of 1973 as the first secretary in the clinical materials center. Ed Bahr was hired as the first electronics technician in the speech and hearing science lab.

Following the voyage analogy, the small motorboat, having become a sailing schooner and then a cargo ship, now took on the face of a battle ship. And last, but not least, here are the graduates of the 1971-74 period, the first from the School of Communicative Disorders in the new College of Professional Studies Building:

Kristen E. Ault 05/17/72, Nanette J. Brown 12/23/71, Diane R. Beeler 05/20/72, Bruce Burress 05/17/72, John E. Caylor 05/21/72, Dorothy L. Chambers 08/04/72, Lois Disher 05/17/72, Karen Ebert 05/17/72, Rita J. Erickson 05/17/72, Marjorie Erl 08/04/72, Katherine A. Fanta 05/17/72, Kathleen Farvour 05/17/72, Pamela Greedy 05/17/72, Donald A. Hanson05/17/72, Janice G. Hoiby 05/17/72, Linda L. Konkol 05/17/72, Deanna E. Johnson 05/17/02, Richard C. Krause 08/04/72, Laverne Lang 08/04/72, Barbara A. Lautenbach 12/23/71, Lois H. Lemke 12/21/72 , Shawn M. McBride 05/17/72, Jacob Morningside 08/04/72, Helen A. Osier 05/17/72, Gail E. Possley 05/17/72, Kathleen Roubal 05/17/72, Richard C Sauer 05/17/72, Caryl J. Schmitz 05/17/72, Janet M. Somers 05/17/72, Mary P. Sommers 05/20/72, Catherine M. Steffen 08/04/72, Susan K. Voeks 08/04/72, Laura Wang 05/17/72, Kathleen Winter 05/17/72

Delores I. Ahmann 12/21/73, Donna M. Ballard 05/17/73, Cynthia A Barber 08/03/73, Beverly R. Bartels 12/21/72, John M. Baumgartner 08/03/73 (M), Maxine M. Bronk 05/17/73, Dorothy Burhop 05/17/73, Bruce Burress 08/03/73 (M), Kathleen Burress 05/17/73, Clare Karr 05/17/73, Francis A. Czarnecki 05/17/73, Lois M. Casper 08/03/73, Michael G. Dahlke 05/17/73, Faye L. Davis 05/17/73, James Davis 12/21/72, Janis Duran 12/21/72, Lynn A. Dyer 05/1773, Cheryl L. Eschenbach 05/17/73, Laurel A. Ethier 05/17/73, Christine L. Freiberg 08/03/73, S. J. Gibson 08/03/73, Donna M. Grummer 05/17/73, Jeffrey E. Hembel 05/17/73, Jennifer Hermann 05/17/72, Ann C. Hinz 12/21/72, Jane M. Jauquet 05/03/73, Deanna E. Johnson 08/03/73, Candice L. Jurovic 05/17/73, George Kalin 08/03/73,Sue E. Klescewski 08/03/73, Joan M. Laplant 08/03/73, Lois H. Lemke 12.21/72, Shelly W. Maginnis 08/03/73, Mary A. Maiers 08/03/73, Susan Maire 05/17/73, Christine A. Martinicky 05/17/73, Shawn M. McBride 08/03/73 (M), Jonelle M Mackinnon 05/17/73, Cheryl McKay 05/17/73, Deborah S. Miller 12/21/72, Ronalyn Meyer 05/17/73, Diane M. Nelsestuen 08/03/73 (M), Vivian Pagel 12/21/72,Paul Plucker 05/17/73, Pat Pollard 08/03/73, Mildred M. Popp 05/17/73, Margaret Radtke 08/03/73, Mary L. Reineking 08/03/73 (M), Mary T. Retzler 05/17/73, Kathleen Roubal 08/03/73, Jo Ann. Runge 08/03/73, Richard C. Sauer 08/03/73 (M), Kathryn J. Schneider 05/17/73, Kathleen V. Schroeder 12/21/72, Connie Schellhaass 08/03/73, Elizabeth A. Schussler 05/17/73, Janet S. Sekas 05/17/73, Judith A. Shandor 05/17/73, Judith Terczynski 05/17/73, Michael K. Thelen 08/03/73, Connie M. Wenzel 05/17/73, Phyllis A. Wilke 05/17/73

The Graduates of the 1973-74 Academic Year 

Susan E. Block 05/12/74, Wallace L. Boever 08/03/74, Gerald E. Brien 05/12/74, Maxine Bronk 08/03/74(M), Madge E. Bishop 05/12/74, Geralyn A Chapman 08/03/74, Gail S. Cismoski 12/16/73, Michael G. Dahlke 05/12/74 (M), Mary K. Deboer 08/03/74, Susan D. Dechant 05/12/74, Jean Denuccio 05/12/74 , Lynn A. Dyer 08/03/74, Mark Ethier 12/16/73, Laurel A. Either 08/03/74, Mary S. Flynn 08/03/74, Kathleen Fredericks 05/12/74, Margaret Glackman 08/03/74, Steven r. Groeschel 12/21/73, Richard W. Harris 08/03/74, Mark A Hawkinson 05/12/74, Jeffrey E. Hembel 08/03/74 (M), Lynn I. Hintz 05/12/74, Cynthia Jarvis 05/12/74, Deanna E. Johnson 08/03/73 (M), Gayle A. Johnson 12/16/73, Clare Karr 08/03/74, Kenneth C. Kober 12/16/73, Craig C. Koerner 12/16/73, Barbara J. Konopacky 05/12/74, Carol A.Kronforst 05/12/74, James H. Larson 08/03/74, Kristen H. Larson 05/12/74, Kathryn S. Malchow 05/12/74, Mary P. McGurk 05/12/74, Charlene C. Morrisseau 08/03/74, Linda L. Mouras 05/12/74, Dorothy M. Olson 05/12/74 (M), Mary Plautz 05/12/74, Sharon Plotkin 05/12/74, Paul Plucker 05/12/74, Mary E. Rapp 05/12/74, James A. Schultz 05/12/74, Pamela A. Schmidt 05/12/74, Elizabeth A. Schussler 05/12/74 (M), Dianne V. Sekas 05/12/74, Lynn A. Sharkey 12/16/73, Mary E. Sidler 05/12/74, Linda J. Shoeder 05/12/74, Linda Stombaugh 12/16/73, Nancy C. Stone 08/03/74, Gail A. Villarruel 08/03/74, Sandra Wallin 12/16/73, Lora L. White 05/12/74, Kathie Willet 12/16/73, Catherien A. Wolff 05/12/74, Claire Wyhuske 05/12/74 , Terri A. Yokers 05/12/74