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Dr. Sanderson: An advocate for the deaf | Standard-Examiner – Ogden, Layton, Brigham, Weber, Davis, Sports, Entertainment, Dining, Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, Ogden Raptors, Top of Utah News
As Robert Sanderson sits humbly in the neat, quiet home that he built with his own hands with a carpenter, one could never guess his many accomplishments within the deaf community for which he has worked tirelessly since he lost his hearing at age 11.
Although Sanderson, 90, uses sign language as his main form of communication, he speaks clearly and candidly about his life and accomplishments: the first deaf person to graduate from Brigham Young University with a doctorate, first director of Utah's program for the deaf, and most recently, receiving an honorary doctoral degree from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., last May.
Sanderson still completely takes care of himself -- drives his car, prepares his meals and cleans his house.
"I still haven't been able to get the ironing down," he said, smiling as he motioned how to iron.
At age 11, Sanderson was living in Las Vegas when he contracted spinal meningitis and lost his hearing. He counts himself lucky.
"It killed some kids, left some kids blind and left some kids deaf," he said. At the time there was no school for the deaf in Nevada, so the state paid for him and his sister to move to Ogden to attend its school. After graduation, he was encouraged to go to college and moved to Washington to attend Gallaudet University, a leading university for the deaf. He received a bachelor of arts degree and moved back to Nevada, where he worked as a mining company chemist. He and his sister, who also lost her hearing due to spinal meningitis, were the only two deaf people in the town, which was a struggle for him.
A friend then hooked him up with a job in Ogden as a dry cleaner.
"Imagine that. I went to all that school and was a dry cleaner -- but it opened up the world to me," he said. He experienced other health setbacks and was unable to do his dry-cleaning work, so he started working for the Weber County Recorder's Office.
Sanderson still wanted more education and went with his wife (who also was deaf and had attended the Utah School for the Deaf in Ogden) to California State University at Northridge, where he received a master's degree in education administration. There he learned how to work and study, he said.
He attributes much of his success in his life to connections with friends who opened doors for him.
Upon his return to Ogden, he was told about a new department the state was opening up for the deaf. Sanderson became the head of the Division of Rehabilitation Services. That became his passion.
When he started, only 11 people were in the program. After a few short years there were 200. He was swamped, but was discovering many things. He realized the deaf needed interpreters to succeed, so he held workshops across the United States to recruit interpreters. He found that those who could hear but who had parents who could not were perfect candidates.
His next goal was to help people understand that sign language was actual language, with syntax and grammar, that needed to be taught in college so deaf people would have more life opportunities. That also became his passion.
"I start talking about sign language, and I can't stop," he said with a smile. While he was busy helping the deaf community thrive and succeed, Sanderson also earned his doctorate in Public School Administration from BYU.
"I think people thought we (deaf people) couldn't be smart, but we showed them," Sanderson said.
His state programs for recruiting interpreters and using them at the college level started getting national recognition, and colleges and universities started picking up on his programs. That still gives him great satisfaction.
"By the year 2000, colleges and universities across the United States finally realized sign language is a real language," Sanderson said. In 2003 the Taylorsville Deaf Center was renamed Sanderson Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Sanderson was taken by surprise last spring when he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University, where he earned his first degree. He proudly showed the photo from that day.
"I think I look pretty old there," he said with a chuckle as he looked at himself in his doctoral robes. "It was a very nice honor."
Despite his accomplishments, Sanderson is quick to say that his biggest accomplishment is his wife, two sons and grandchildren. His wife, Mary, died in 2008 after 62 years of marriage.
"She is a real beauty. I was lucky to have her," he said. His proudest career moment is getting programs started for the deaf with the state Board of Education.
"I am proud to develop things, get them started and let it go and know it will go by itself," Sanderson said.
Sanderson thinks his passion for helping the deaf is what has kept him so alert and active at his advanced age. He still is involved with several organizations for the deaf in the area.
As Robert Sanderson sits humbly in the neat, quiet home that he built with his own hands with a carpenter, one could never guess his many accomplishments within the deaf community for which he has worked tirelessly since he lost his hearing at age 11.
Although Sanderson, 90, uses sign language as his main form of communication, he speaks clearly and candidly about his life and accomplishments: the first deaf person to graduate from Brigham Young University with a doctorate, first director of Utah's program for the deaf, and most recently, receiving an honorary doctoral degree from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., last May.
Sanderson still completely takes care of himself -- drives his car, prepares his meals and cleans his house.
"I still haven't been able to get the ironing down," he said, smiling as he motioned how to iron.
At age 11, Sanderson was living in Las Vegas when he contracted spinal meningitis and lost his hearing. He counts himself lucky.
"It killed some kids, left some kids blind and left some kids deaf," he said. At the time there was no school for the deaf in Nevada, so the state paid for him and his sister to move to Ogden to attend its school. After graduation, he was encouraged to go to college and moved to Washington to attend Gallaudet University, a leading university for the deaf. He received a bachelor of arts degree and moved back to Nevada, where he worked as a mining company chemist. He and his sister, who also lost her hearing due to spinal meningitis, were the only two deaf people in the town, which was a struggle for him.
A friend then hooked him up with a job in Ogden as a dry cleaner.
"Imagine that. I went to all that school and was a dry cleaner -- but it opened up the world to me," he said. He experienced other health setbacks and was unable to do his dry-cleaning work, so he started working for the Weber County Recorder's Office.
Sanderson still wanted more education and went with his wife (who also was deaf and had attended the Utah School for the Deaf in Ogden) to California State University at Northridge, where he received a master's degree in education administration. There he learned how to work and study, he said.
He attributes much of his success in his life to connections with friends who opened doors for him.
Upon his return to Ogden, he was told about a new department the state was opening up for the deaf. Sanderson became the head of the Division of Rehabilitation Services. That became his passion.
When he started, only 11 people were in the program. After a few short years there were 200. He was swamped, but was discovering many things. He realized the deaf needed interpreters to succeed, so he held workshops across the United States to recruit interpreters. He found that those who could hear but who had parents who could not were perfect candidates.
His next goal was to help people understand that sign language was actual language, with syntax and grammar, that needed to be taught in college so deaf people would have more life opportunities. That also became his passion.
"I start talking about sign language, and I can't stop," he said with a smile. While he was busy helping the deaf community thrive and succeed, Sanderson also earned his doctorate in Public School Administration from BYU.
"I think people thought we (deaf people) couldn't be smart, but we showed them," Sanderson said.
His state programs for recruiting interpreters and using them at the college level started getting national recognition, and colleges and universities started picking up on his programs. That still gives him great satisfaction.
"By the year 2000, colleges and universities across the United States finally realized sign language is a real language," Sanderson said. In 2003 the Taylorsville Deaf Center was renamed Sanderson Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Sanderson was taken by surprise last spring when he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University, where he earned his first degree. He proudly showed the photo from that day.
"I think I look pretty old there," he said with a chuckle as he looked at himself in his doctoral robes. "It was a very nice honor."
Despite his accomplishments, Sanderson is quick to say that his biggest accomplishment is his wife, two sons and grandchildren. His wife, Mary, died in 2008 after 62 years of marriage.
"She is a real beauty. I was lucky to have her," he said. His proudest career moment is getting programs started for the deaf with the state Board of Education.
"I am proud to develop things, get them started and let it go and know it will go by itself," Sanderson said.
Sanderson thinks his passion for helping the deaf is what has kept him so alert and active at his advanced age. He still is involved with several organizations for the deaf in the area.
