IN MEMORIAM
GENE R. POWERS
Gene R. Powers, Ph.D., professor emeritus,
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, died August
24, 2005. He was born February 10, 1928, in White Deer, Texas.
Gene graduated from White Deer High School and received a Bachelor
of Arts degree in speech communication (theatre arts) from Texas
Tech University in 1949. Following service as an officer in the
United States Air Force, he received Master of Arts (1958) and
Doctor of Philosophy (1960) degrees in speech pathology and audiology
from the University of Iowa.
Gene began his professional career at the University of Connecticut where he
served as director of the Speech and Hearing Center and professor of speech pathology.
In 1974, he was appointed professor of communication sciences and disorders and
director of The University of Texas Speech and Hearing Center. He served as a
member of The University of Texas faculty until retirement in 1993.
Gene’s teaching and research interests were in the areas of voice disorders
and speech disorders resulting from cleft lip and palate in children. He was
author of Cleft Palate and co-author of Psychosocial Aspects of
the Cleft Palate Problem, and he was widely recognized for his research
on speech disorders in children with orofacial anomalies. In the last years of
his tenure with the University, he was tireless in emphasizing the importance
of multicultural issues in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders.
He directed training grants to support the education of master’s level
clinicians in understanding the effects of cultural and linguistic diversity
on services for children and adults with communication disorders. His interest
in this aspect of the field was ahead of its time; his legacy is a nationally-recognized
program in the area of cultural and linguistic diversity in communication sciences
and disorders. Importantly, the many students who completed the introductory
course in communication sciences and disorders remember Gene fondly for his knowledge,
quiet humor, and wise counsel.
In addition to research, teaching, and program development, Gene contributed
significantly to the development of the professions of speech/language pathology
and audiology in the United States. He was a fellow and served as chair of the
Education and Training Board, Ethical Practices Board, and Board of Examiners
in Speech and Language of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He
also served as chair of the Committee on Standards and as a member of the Executive
Board of the Council of Graduate Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders
and received the Award for Distinguished Contributions from the organization
in 1985. In 1971-72, he was vice-president of the American Cleft Palate Association.
Gene was a member of the Texas Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology and, following retirement, president of the American Board of State
Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
Gene brought a warmth and good humor to his department and to the College of
Communication during his years of service to The University of Texas at Austin.
His collegial spirit was deeply valued by his colleagues as critical to team
building in the academic environment. He consulted often, volunteered unselfishly,
and worked toward developing a community of scholars with a common mission.
Gene is survived by his wife Rose, children James, William, Charles and Caroline,
and a large and loving set of grandchildren.
<signed>
William Powers Jr., President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee consisting of Professors
Thomas P. Marquardt (chair), Barbara L. Davis, and Fred N. Martin.
|
