Mount Oread Messenger: September 30, 2020

The life of Richard Schiefelbusch Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( [Mount Oread Messenger]( Good morning! Today I want to highlight the life of one of the longest-tenured and renowned members of the KU community, who died last week at the impressive age of 102. Richard "Dick" Schiefelbusch spent over four decades as a professor and institute director at the university and was widely considered one of the world's foremost authorities on speech language pathology and intellectual and developmental disabilities. But even before that, he led what most would consider a heroic and impactful life. A Kansas native, Schiefelbusch served as a navigator aboard B-24 bombers in World War II before being captured for two years as a prisoner of war. He was rescued in 1945, and colleagues said he emerged from the horrific experience with a goal of making a meaningful difference in the world. So, Schiefelbusch received a doctoral degree from Northwestern University and in 1949 came to KU to start the KU Speech and Hearing Clinic. In 1955, KU Chancellor Frank Murphy recruited Schiefelbusch to lead a new Bureau of Child Research at the university, a role that he would hold for nearly 40 years and expand into one of the world’s leading research centers on intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1990 the institute was renamed for Schiefelbusch, and KU's clinic for speech, language and hearing disorders also bears his name. Writing his story yesterday morning, I was struck by how much Schiefelbusch accomplished in his 102 years, but even moreso the impact he left on those around him. Here are some quotes from those who knew him well: Steve Warren, a KU distinguished professor and former director of the Life Span Institute: “Dick survived being shot down in World War II and spent time as prisoner. He came away from that experience with a goal to make a meaningful difference in the world. He was offered the opportunity to direct something called the ‘bureau of child research’ at KU that existed only on a piece of paper. That is where his optimism and creativity really took off. He inspired people around him to make a difference. And what a difference that has made at KU and around the world.” John Colombo, current director of the Life Span Institute: “Dick was ahead of his time in creating a culture of dedication among the scientists and staff at the Bureau of Child Research. This culture continues to this day at the Life Span Institute, and it charges us to conduct rigorous and high-quality research on intellectual disability, physical disability, developmental problems. This is research that truly matters to our state, our nation and the world.” Douglas Girod, KU chancellor: “Dick was a pioneer in his research field of speech, language and hearing whose contributions to KU will last long into the future. He served as mentor to so many KU researchers, many of whom have contributed to the institute that bears his name. He demonstrated the powerful impact that our research can have on people’s lives." That's all for today — see you on Friday! [Schiefelbusch]( [Richard Schiefelbusch, leader in speech pathology and disability research, dies at 102]( Richard "Dick" Schiefelbusch spent over four decades as a professor and institute director at the university and was widely considered one of the world's foremost authorities on speech language pathology and intellectual and developmental disabilities. [Read the full story here]( IMAGE OF THE DAY [Testing dashboard]( The most recent iteration of KU's COVID-19 dashboard which details various testing metrics, which added a 14-day percent positive average indicator (in red) to show the average rate of positive test collections. (Screenshot via protect.ku.edu/data) IN OTHER KU NEWS [21 more COVID-19 cases confirmed at KU, percentage of symptomatic patients testing positive again falls]( KU on Tuesday confirmed another 21 cases of COVID-19 since it last released data on Friday, and the cumulative case total at Kansas’ flagship university now sits at 971. The percentage of people exhibiting virus symptoms testing positive also fell below 10% for the first time. [Sign]( [John Hadl, legendary KU football player and university advocate, given lifetime achievement award by KU Alumni Association]( Hadl, one of only three players in the history of football at the University of Kansas to have his number retired and a decades-long leader in Kansas Athletics’ Williams Education Fund, was announced this week as the recipient of the Fred Ellsworth Medallion, the highest honor awarded by the KU Alumni Association. [John Hadl]( If you enjoy the Mount Oread Messenger, you can [subscribe to receive it here.]( To reach Mount Oread Messenger author Conner Mitchell, please email cmitchell@ljworld.com or call 785-832-6388. Tips can also be submitted at [Conner's tip form]( or at his secure email address,[connermitchell@protonmail.com](mailto:connermitchell@protonmail.som). [subscribe to the lawrence journal-world here]( This message was sent by the Lawrence Journal-World. 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