Dennis Nash, associate dean and head of the School of Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will retire after 32 years of service.

A Colorado native, Nash said he is pleased to have become a longtime resident of Stevens Point. He was in line for another job, but he didn�t even go to the interview after visiting Central Wisconsin in 1970. "The quality of life in Stevens Point can�t be beat," he said. "When I recruit new faculty members, I let them know that this is a great place to live."

Nash plans to travel after retirement, but will keep his home in Stevens Point. He believes he will miss his job.

"I�m absolutely in love with my profession," he said. The UWSP Center for Communicative Disorders, which is part of the School of Communicative Disorders, sees hundreds of area residents each year. Nash has worked with numerous stroke patients and victims of head trauma. Many of the injuries could be avoided or lessened by use of protective headgear, he said. "I�ve seen lots of folks with head injuries and seen them work to recover from their disabilities," he said. "I�m just fascinated with the way the brain works."

His first assignment at UWSP was working with stroke rehabilitation at St. Michael�s Hospital. What started as an occasional task has become a half-time position served by academic staff from the School of Communicative Disorders. Evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders has added greatly to the services provided to patients at the hospital. In addition, each time a UWSP staff member goes to St. Michael�s to work with patients, two UWSP graduate students participate in providing clinical services.

"When graduate students leave UWSP, they have had academic and hands-on experience that put them far ahead of peers from other schools," Nash said. "Our students gain tremendous experience at St. Michael�s. We have an outstanding relationship with the hospital."

In addition to working with brain-injured patients, he has worked with many patients who have undergone laryngectomy surgery. This is removal of the larynx, the organ that contains the vocal cords, usually as a result of cancer caused by use of tobacco. One of Nash�s greatest successes was the development of a support group for laryngectomees in 1973. The group still meets on a regular basis.

Nash and his wife, Linda, started volunteering with the American Cancer Society shortly after coming to Stevens Point. They were presented with the St. George National Award for their combined total of more than 50 years of service to the society. This is the highest award bestowed by the American Cancer Society for volunteers and is limited to the most dedicated workers who have made a significant impact toward reaching the society�s goals.

Nash chaired the American Cancer Society�s Wisconsin Board of Directors in 1990-91 and led the state�s Patient Services and Rehabilitation Committee. He is a delegate to the national assembly of the society and has served on ad hoc committees concerned with pain control and end of life issues.

As a result of his work with stroke and cancer patients, Nash has become an anti-smoking activist. He is involved with the Portage County Tobacco Free Coalition that works to prevent children from starting to smoke, advocate for smoke-free environments in public places, and help people who want to quit smoking accomplish their goals. The Tobacco Free Coalition supports the toll free "Quit Line" (1-877-270-STOP), which smokers can call any time to learn how to quit smoking, find support groups and learn about medication to help with quitting. He said the success of the telephone help line has been tremendous.

He received the Wisconsin Speech, Language and Hearing Association Lifetime Achievement Award (WSHA) and the WSHA Salutes Award. The Salute was given for his volunteer involvement with the local and state units of the American Cancer Society and for his efforts to reduce the incidence of cancer.

For four years, Nash served as treasurer of the Council of Academic Programs for Communicative Sciences and Disorders. He was present when the group started in the mid 1970s, and he has seen it grow to become a well-respected organization. Now nearly every educational program of its kind in the country attends the organization�s annual conference. Last year Nash was one of five recipients of the group�s Award of Appreciation.

Nash has served as the Head of the School of Communicative Disorders at UWSP for nine years. He previously served as director of clinical services for 10 years and as the coordinator of graduate studies for two years.

He earned a bachelor�s degree at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., then taught high school English and directed plays in Colorado for a few years. He earned a master�s degree in communicative disorders at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and a doctorate in speech-language pathology at the University of Kansas at Lawrence.

Nash�s wife, Linda, will retire from the Mosinee Telephone Company nine days before her husband retires from UWSP. In addition to visiting friends and family around the U.S., the couple has signed up for a Scotland Adventure Tour. They plan to add a trip to London to their itinerary then take a side trip to Wales to do genealogy.

Nash�s other plans include learning Spanish and becoming an amateur archeologist during visits to Arizona.

"I will miss the people at UWSP-- my colleagues, students, and patients," Nash said. "I�m taking away a lot of fond memories."

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yarbro/vc/Nash retire