LINGUIST List 11.831

Tue Apr 11 2000

All: Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr., Dies

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

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  • Mark_Mandel, Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr.

    Message 1: Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr.

     Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 14:46:33 -0400
    From: Mark_Mandel <Mark_MandelDragonsys.com>
    Subject: Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr.




    Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr., Dies

    Washington, DC--Dr. William C. Stokoe, Jr., 80, Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet, died on April 4 at his home in Chevy Chase, MD, following a long illness. Dr. Stokoe, who joined the Gallaudet English faculty in 1955, is widely recognized, both nationally and internationally, as the creator of the linguistic study of the sign languages of the deaf. His research led to the recognition that American Sign Language is a fully formed language.

    Dr. Stokoe's research, published works and personal advocacy led to widespread acceptance of the idea that ASL is an appropriate language of instruction for deaf students, and even that it is an appropriate second language for hearing students in high schools and universities in the United States.

    Following Dr. Stokoe's retirement from Gallaudet in 1984, he was named Professor Emeritus and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University in 1988. He also received honorary doctorates from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Madonna University in Michigan. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington, DC.

    In addition to his work on ASL, Dr. Stokoe was also one of a group of international scholars who led a revival of scientific interest in the origin and evolution of the human capacity for language. He was actively writing and publishing up until the final few weeks of his life, and among his last works is the manuscript for a book, Language in Hand, that will be published later this year by Gallaudet University Press.

    Dr. Stokoe's family have asked that donations be made to the William C. Stokoe, Jr. Chair of Ethnographic Studies in Deaf Language and Culture, c/o Gallaudet University Office of Development, 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

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