Dick and Judy Kroese: Proud supporters of our AuD students
For more than 10 years, Dick and Judy Kroese have made donations to the SLHS Hearing Clinic. They were motivated to contribute based on personal experience and desire to support student success. Dick and Judy are frequent guests in the classroom, talking about their experiences with Dick’s hearing loss and cochlear implant. They are even willing participants for students to practice clinical skills. The Kroese’s annual donations help support the Audiology Doctoral Project Presentation event where students have the opportunity to present their work to the university and broader Tucson community.
Dick received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska-Wesleyan and a Master of Science from the University of Omaha in public administration. He spent his career working in the railroad industry, with Western Pacific, Union Pacific, and the CSX railroads. He retired as a director. As he got older, Dick developed a hearing loss, at least in part related to noise exposure on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam war and his work in the rail industry. Dick is the founder of the Saddlebrook Better Hearing Discussion Group.
Judy was trained as a speech language pathologist at the University of Iowa. She also earned a PhD in school psychology from the University of Georgia-Athens. Judy worked for over 30 years as a speech language pathologist and ultimately became the assistant director of a school in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dick and Judy Kroese’s financial support and willingness to engage with students has had a positive impact on our ability to train the next generation of audiologists. Thank you, Dick and Judy, for your continued support of hearing education at the University of Arizona.
Previous Donor Spotlight: Dr. Janis Wolfe
Dr. Gasch is known for her professional contributions and outstanding service to the field of audiology. In 2003, she received the Humanitarian Award from the American Academy of Audiology for her work to provide services to indigent Mexican children at St. Andrews Children’s Clinic in Nogales, Mexico. Dr. Gasch was the Founder and Director of Arizona Hearing Specialists, the first audiology private practice in Tucson. Through her practice, she has provided countless hours of training and mentoring to SLHS graduate students. Dr. Gasch was a past president of the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has an outstanding record in community service. In 2005, the SLHS department recognized her with the Distinguished Alumna Award.
“Providing volunteer audiology and hearing aid services at the St. Andrews Children’s Clinic in Nogales was one of the most humbling and gratifying experiences of my career. It is so easy to take for granted everything that we have – both professionally and personally: up-to-date equipment, office space and staff; as well as the homes we live in, the food on our tables, the clothes we wear and the schools our children attend. Having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the hearing -impaired children and their families seen through the Clinic, made me a better audiologist and a better person. I hope this award will motivate future students to use their knowledge to expand their experiences beyond the classroom.” - Janis Wolfe Gasch, Au.D.,CCC-A Retired, FAAA
A special thank you to Dr. and Mr. Gasch for their continued support of student success in the department.
Previous Donor Spotlight: Table for 10 Years
Thank you to our generous donors who made this unique gift a reality! The Table for 10 Years has been successfully installed and students, faculty, and staff are getting plenty of use out of it.