Miss-Delectable

?Babe Ruth of Deaf Studies? remembered | Daily Sundial

As Dr. Lawrence Fleischer gave the final keynote speech at the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 31, thoughts ran through Jeff Lenham’s mind after Fleischer noted that he was planning an “exit” from the deaf studies field.

“I remember sitting in the audience thinking, ‘does this mean that you’re done with our organization (ASLTA), or are you stepping down and that your daughter is ready to take the lead?’” said Lenham, a deaf studies faculty member.

“It was such a beautiful sentiment, and it seemed to be the perfect timing that he was saying, ‘I am passing the torch,’ but ironically he mentioned an ‘exit,’ and that he has exited from this field in a different way—a much different exit than we had anticipated.”

Students, deaf studies faculty and other members of the CSUN community continued to reflect Tuesday on the life and career of department chair Fleischer, who died Sunday evening after returning to Bob Hope Airport from the conference. He was 64.

Messages paying tribute to Fleischer continued to be posted on a memory wall set up outside the Deaf Studies department’s office.

“Thank you for sharing your vast amount of knowledge and experience with so many students, deaf and hearing alike,” said one message.

“Deaf Studies without Larry is like Hogwarts without Dumbledore!” said another.

At the Stop Audism Event held in front of the Oviatt Library Tuesday, Drew Tolson, vice president of the Deaf Studies Association, noted that Fleischer was very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject of deaf studies.

“There was never a question unanswered,” he said.

Deaf studies major Amber Hulsey said Fleischer “fought strongly for deaf rights and taught children about their culture in their native language.”

Fleischer is being remembered by his colleagues as a leader who devoted his life to advancing education for the deaf in many respects, as well as championing the rights of people in the deaf community.

“He was totally student-centered,” said Dr. Michael Spagna, dean of the College of Education. “He was a powerhouse in the community, he was an academic leader. He was really a charismatic individual. Everyone I know from peers to students drew strength from him.”

Fleischer arrived at CSUN in 1971 for the special education department’s masters program, said Joyce Linden, who worked with him for over 30 years. He was hired by the department in 1973 and remained on this campus with the vision that “Deaf Studies (should) become a separate department. It didn’t belong in special education,” according to Allisun Kale, who has been a lecturer in the department for nine years.

Fleischer pushed for the program’s growth from the special education department to an independent entity under the College of Education in 1994. In 2007, he oversaw an overhaul in the deaf studies curriculum, expanding the course offerings and adding concentrations in American Sign Language and ASL literature as a response to students who did not want to become interpreters or teachers of the deaf.

Fleischer grew up in a bilingual, bi-religious household in New York with a Jewish father who used ASL, and a Catholic mother who used Quebec Sign Language. He was often teased at school because he had a noticeable accent from his mother’s native language, also known as LSQ, Linden said.

“But he always spoke of his parents with pride,” she said.

His daughter, Flavia, is currently an assistant professor of Deaf Studies and American Sign Language at Utah Valley University, and his granddaughter, Ryssa, is fifth-generation deaf, “a great source of pride in the deaf world,” Kale said.

“He had pride for his family and pride for his children,” Linden said.

Fleischer was an avid sports person and came from a very sports-oriented family. His involvement in football and baseball at Gallaudet, and his tenure as president of the USA Deaf Sports Federation, were a few of many examples of his dedication to sports and fitness. He was also inducted to USA Deaf Basketball’s Hall of Fame, and his daughter participates in snowboarding and other sports.

He especially loved baseball, as evidenced by the baseball memorabilia placed all over his office, Lenham said.

“When we weren’t in a teaching relationship, we were friends,” Lenham said. “We did become friendly rivals, though. He loved the San Francisco Giants, and I loved the L.A. Dodgers. We would banter on about our favorite teams when we saw each other.”

“He is the Babe Ruth of Deaf Studies,” he said. “He will be very hard to replace.”

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