Dr. Robert G. Sanderson's
Honoring Ceremony

Jodi Becker Kinner
Edited by Bronwyn O’Hara & Valerie G. Kinney
2014
PictureDr. Robert G. Sanderson
While Marilyn Call (hard of hearing) was the director of the Utah Community Center of the Deaf, she felt the history would not be complete without telling how the Utah Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing became the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She always thought the center should carry the name of a Deaf individual because the center would not have been possible without Deaf people’s persistent advocacy (Call, UAD Bulletin, September 2003; Sanderson, 2004). 

At the Utah State Board of Education meeting, Marilyn Call shared the excellent reasons why Dr. Sanderson was chosen to represent Utah’s Deaf leaders (Call, UAD Bulletin, September 2003). The State Board unanimously supported renaming the community center (Call, UAD Bulletin, September 2003). On October 4, 2003, a huge renaming celebration was held in honor of Dr. Robert G. Sanderson, a leader in the Deaf community of Utah.


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Robert G. known as “Bob” or “Sandie” Sanderson was born on February 20, 1920, in Nevada. At 11, he was stricken with deafness by spinal meningitis. He graduated from the Utah School for the Deaf (USD), Ogden, in 1936.  Sandie graduated from Gallaudet College, Washington, DC in 1941 with a Bachelor’s degree. In 1965, he earned a Master’s degree at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in Educational Administration. In 1974, he earned a Doctor of Education degree from Brigham Young University (BYU). He has the distinction of being the first totally deaf person in Utah and the only USD graduate to earn a doctorate.

  • 1941-1942 - Bob worked as an assistant assayer in Pioche, Nevada. From 1942 to1947, he worked as a chemist/technologist for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Boulder City, Nevada. In 1947, Bob worked as a draftsman for the Weber County Recorder’s Office, Ogden.
 
  • 1960-1963 - Bob served as president of the Utah Association of the Deaf (UAD).  After the passing of Rodney W. Walker, president emeritus, the designation was passed on to Bob.  He served in this position until his passing in 2012.
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Robert G. Sanderson, 1936
  • 1964-1968 - Bob served as president of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), as he challenged the incumbent, Byron C. Burnes, who had served 18 years. ‘President emeritus’ was bestowed upon him at the 1968 NAD Conference, serving for 44 years. In 1965, the NAD headquarters was moved from Berkeley, California to Washington, D.C. under Sandie’s leadership.

  • 1965-1985 - Sandie served as the first state coordinator of services to deaf people through the Division of Rehabilitation Services. He pioneered job training and job placement for deaf adults in Utah. He was the first deaf professional hired by the Utah State Board of Education for this coordinator position. In 1983, Dr. Sanderson was appointed the first director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf.
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  • 1970-1994 - at Gallaudet, Dr. Sanderson was a member of the Gallaudet College Board of Fellows, an advisory board, from its 1970 inception until 1982. From 1982 to 1994 he was on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees, retiring as trustee emeritus.​​
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Bob Sanderson, 1941
  • 1978-1985 - Dr. Sanderson was adjunct assistant professor, teaching American Sign Language and the sociology, psychology, and cultural aspects of deafness at the University of Utah in the Department of Communication Disorders

  • 1981-1982 – Sandie was selected professor of the Powrie Vaux Doctor Chair of Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University.

  • 1985-1986, he was an adjunct instructor at Utah State University in the Department of Communicative Disorders.

  • 1985 - Sandie retired from his professional career. However, he served on the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Institutional Council, an advisory board and advocated for the Utah Deaf Relay System, the Utah Deaf Mentor Project, and the Utah State Interpreter Certification Board. After his retirement, Dr. Sanderson continued teaching sign language at local high schools.​
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Dr. Robert G. Sanderson. @ Gallaudet University Archive
  • 1988 at the Gallaudet “Deaf President Now” (DPN) Protest, Dr. Sanderson, a Gallaudet trustee, fully supported the hiring of a deaf person.

  • October 4, 2003 - the Utah Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Taylorsville, Utah was renamed the “Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” in recognition of his efforts in behalf of the Deaf community. In March 2004, Dr. Sanderson published A Brief History of the Origins of the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

  • May 14, 2010 - during its graduation ceremony, the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees awarded Bob an honorary doctorate degree for his outstanding leadership of 60 years.
 
  • Dr. Sanderson became an adjunct instructor for the Department of Health, Recreation and Leisure at the University of Utah.  Lastly, he served as an adjunct instructor for the Division of Continuing Education at Weber State University.​

​At Sandie’s passing on February 25, 2012, NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins stated, “… ‘Sandie’ Sanderson was a true giant who….shared his passion for hard work, volunteerism, and dedication to the betterment of our lives. …we thank the state of Utah for allowing us to share in his legacy of tireless advocacy on behalf of the American deaf and hard of hearing community.”

See Dr. Sanderson's biography for more information: www.utahdeafhistory.com/uploads/5/4/2/6/5426987/robert_sanderson.pdf
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Sandie Sanderson, 2003
PictureDr. Robert G. Sanderson
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS 
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A Slideshow of Dr. Sanderson's Honoring Ceremony,
October 4, 2003
Photos taken by Sanderson Community Center staff