In this month's issue
Litchfields endow deaf and hard of hearing sequence
VP Ashby announces new format for Alumni News
Alum Christopher Zimny posthumously named USO Marine of the Year
At Illinois State, the only constant is change
Coming home matters, an invitation from Dianne Ashby
Litchfields endow deaf and hard of hearing sequence
Enrichment is one of Sharon and Allen Litchfield’s favorite words. Their lives were enriched when they met at Illinois State University as undergraduates and subsequently married. Sharon’s life was enriched through her 32-year career as a deaf and hard of hearing educator. Al’s life was enriched through his 30-year career at Caterpillar, Inc. Now the Litchfield’s have decided to enrich the Special Education department with a sizeable planned gift to establish the Sharon and Allen Litchfield Endowment for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Sequence.
“College students don’t remember page 26 of their Deaf Education textbook,” Sharon said. “They remember attending a conference and eating pizza with professionals and educators in the field; they remember listening to prominent speakers talk about new and exciting equipment and techniques in the deaf education field; and they remember networking at professional meetings. Enriching students’ academic experiences is one of our goals in setting up the endowment.”
The endowment will be used for faculty and student support in the areas of equipment, travel for professional development, invited guest speakers, and scholarships for outstanding students, among other areas.
“It will be helpful for students and faculty to see current assistive hearing technology, such as a cochlear implant model, as we are studying that process,” Sharon said. “Also, so many advances in our field are national and even international in nature, but faculty can’t get to the international conferences they might wish to attend on a limited departmental travel budget. These are the kinds of activities and equipment needs to which our endowment will contribute.”
Sharon received her bachelor’s degree in deaf education in 1973 and her master’s degree in reading in 1982. She taught in the Peoria School system for 12 years before beginning her career at Illinois State in 1986. Sharon earned her doctorate in 2002 from the University of Illinois.
Sharon, who says she’s ready to move on from education, will retire in December. “I’ve loved every minute of my 32 years of teaching and am especially proud of the University deaf and hard of hearing sequence and the goals that my colleague Maribeth Lartz and I have accomplished, but now my contribution to my department, colleagues and students will come with our endowment. It’s time for Al and me to relax, reflect and have some fun.”
Al received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1972. He had many different jobs at Caterpillar, ending with training dealer personnel in support programs to repair machinery. Al traveled all over the world during his time at Caterpillar, with many trips to Northern Europe, including stints in Dublin, Belfast and Amsterdam. He retired two years ago and has maintained friendships with many other Caterpillar retirees, including taking motorcycle trips with them twice a year.
Sharon says Al had a two-year head start on her for their retirement, and she is anxious to catch up with traveling and remodeling their house. Al, who has a passion for mechanics, will continue working on his machines. Sharon will join Al touring on their motorcycle and in their motor home.