NEWS

Panara both inspired and popularized deaf culture

James Goodman
@goodman_dandc

After Robert Panara lost his hearing from spinal meningitis at the age of 10, his parents had a neighbor take him to a New York Yankees game in the hope that he would meet Babe Ruth — and the excitement might restore his hearing.

Although Mr. Panara did meet Ruth, the thrill didn't restore his hearing.

But Mr. Panara's loss of hearing did not deter him. He not only went on to become one of the founders of Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf but also an inspirational teacher who made the general public aware of the richness of deaf culture.

Mr. Panara died on Sunday at the age of 94 and is remembered as an educator whose influence went well beyond RIT.

"He was one of the founders of deaf studies — the study of the culture, the community and lives of deaf people," said Harry Lang, a professor emeritus at RIT and author of the book Teaching from Heart and Soul: The Robert F. Panara Story.

Mr. Panara was the first deaf faculty member at RIT, where he taught for two decades until his retirement in 1987. He helped create the curriculum for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and established its English Department, where he taught.

He also founded the Drama Club and was known for his courses on Shakespeare and deaf characters in fiction and drama that brought literature and poetry to life. When Mr. Panara retired, NTID named its performing arts theater in his name.

"What made him special is that he made all things possible. He wanted everybody included," said Luane Haggerty, a senior lecturer in NTID's Performing Arts Program.

Mr. Panara authored Great Deaf Americans and a collection of poems, OnHis Deafness and Other Melodies Unheard.

His poem "On His Deafness," written in 1946, has been reprinted many times and won first prize in the World of Poetry contest in 1988. Lang, in his biography of Panara, said the poem is about "how deaf people can 'hear' with an 'inner ear' of imagination."

"In the field of deaf education and the world of deaf culture, my dad was in a league of his own," said his son, John Panara, who is an English instructor at NTID. "He was a teacher with passion and the students at the end of class would always be engaged and entertained."

NTID President Gerard Buckley issued a statement Monday saying Panara's "legacy is indeed vast. Thousands of students and graduates have been influenced by his genuine love of teaching and his generous sharing of his beliefs, values and knowledge."

Mr. Panara became so skilled at lip reading that in 1957 he played a key role in a journalistic feat by Life magazine —what has been called a royal scoop.

England's Queen Elizabeth made her first visit to the United States that year, and wanted to see an American football game — so she attended the match between Maryland and North Carolina at the University of Maryland at College Park.

The queen sat in a 50-yard-line box seat— away from any reporters.

But the next issue of Life included a lot of comments that the queen had made during the game and did so using complete quotes.

As it turned out, Life had retained Panara, who was then teaching at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Unbeknownst to the queen, Panara, with the help of a Gallaudet student who was also an accomplished lip reader, watched the queen's lips through high powered binoculars from a scaffolding built 200 yards away.

Peter Taub, who was a columnist for the Gannett afternoon newspaper in Rochester, the Times-Union, later wrote: "As the queen spoke, they relayed her words to Life reporters sitting nearby who repeated everything for a tape recorder."

"What he did — lip reading the Queen of England — had not been done before. It became part of deaf culture," said John Panara.

Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, Mr. Panara became a voracious reader after he lost his hearing because he had no interpreters or note takers available to him. He didn't learn American Sign Language until after he had graduated high school and wanted to attend Gallaudet.

After graduating from Gallaudet in 1945, Mr. Panara taught at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains. While teaching, Mr. Panara earned his master's in English from New York University.

Mr. Panara met his wife-to-be, Shirley, in 1946 and they were married a year later. Shirley Panara, who was a librarian, died in 2003.

In 1949, Mr. Panara joined the Gallaudet faculty where he taught English until he joined the RIT faculty in 1967.

During the 1960s, Mr. Panara was a founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf, based in Connecticut. He taught workshops there during the summer. The group's performances popularized American Sign Language.

An avid baseball fan, Mr. Panara held season tickets for Red Wing games and went as recently as last year.

"My father loved baseball. One reason was because it's a game of skill and signs. Not a lot has to be said in baseball. On the baseball field, actions speak louder than words," said John Panara.

Mr. Panara and his wife lived in Henrietta for many years and, after her death, he moved to the Episcopal Church Home in Rochester.

He is survived by his son, daughter-in-law, Janis of Chili as well two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and a sister, Eleanor, Lynch of Duluth, Georgia.

Calling hours will be on Thursday. from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Miller Funeral Home, 3325 S. Winton Road, Henrietta.

A memorial tribute to Mr. Panara will be held in September at the Robert F. Panara Theatre.

JGOODMAN@Democratand Chronicle.com

Twitter.com/Goodman_DandC