Robert F. Panara (8 July 1920 - 20 July 2014) was a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

and a co-founder of the

National Technical Institute for the Deaf The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. As one of nine colleges within the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rocheste ...

(NTID) and the

National Theater of the Deaf The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) is a Connecticut-based theatre company founded in 1967, and is the oldest theatre company in the United States with a continuous history of domestic and international touring, as well as producing original wor ...

. Panara is considered to be a pioneer in deaf culture studies in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Life

Panara was born in 1920 in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and lost his hearing as a child from

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion o ...

. After high school, he attended and graduated from Gallaudet College (''now'' Gallaudet University). He went on to teach at Gallaudet College, before moving to the

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in the town of Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional ...

where he helped found the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Panara was very interested in the theater and developed some of the first plays for deaf actors and audiences. He was instrumental in founding the National Theater of the Deaf in connection with the

American School for the Deaf The American School for the Deaf (ASD), originally ''The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf'', is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States, and the first school for children with dis ...

Poetry

Panara was a poet, and his collected poems were published in 1997.

Legacy

In 1987 the

named its performing arts theater after him, and established a scholarship fund in his name. In 2017 the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

issued a stamp in its

Distinguished Americans series The Distinguished Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service which was started in 2000 with a 10¢ stamp depicting Joseph Stilwell. The designs of the first nine issues are reminiscent of the earlier Gr ...

honoring Robert Panara.

Notes and references

External links

Dr. Robert F. Panara a profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panara, Robert 1920 births 2014 deaths Educators of the deaf Deaf activists Gallaudet University alumni Rochester Institute of Technology faculty American deaf people

Life

Poetry

Legacy

Notes and references

Further reading

External links