Dr. Eugene T. McDonald

Dr. Eugene T. McDonald May 24, 1916 -February 4, 2006 Dr. Eugene T. McDonald, 89, formerly of State College, died Feb. 4, 2006, at Buckingham's Choice, a life care community in Adamstown, Md. Born May 24, 1916, near Brownsville, he was the son of Thomas and Mary McDonald. On Nov. 29, 1940, he married Marie Rousseau, who predeceased him. In 1938, he graduated from California State Teacher's College with a B.S. in Elementary Education. That year he entered Penn State, where he earned M. Ed. and Ed. D. degrees in Psychology, with a specialization in Speech Pathology. Upon receipt of his Ed. D., he was the first School Psychologist in Centre and Clinton counties. He joined Penn State to work on a Naval Research Project and subsequently was Director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic from 1949 until 1964. He was a member of the Graduate Faculty. He was active in developing the Department of Special Education and then assumed the rank of Research Professor in Speech Pathology. He was licensed in Pennsylvania for the private practice of psychology, held a School Psychologist certificate and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Certificate of Clinical Competence. He was a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Disorders and the American Academy of Cleft Palate and Cranial Facial Disorders, of which he was a past president. He was also an honorary member of the American Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped. He was elected to several honor societies including Sigma Xi and Phi Delta Kappa. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1976, but continued teaching and consulting through the United States and abroad. For more than 30 years, he served as Consultant to both the Matheny School in Peapack, N.J. and the Home of the Merciful Savior in Philadelphia, residential schools for people with developmental disabilities. He participated in Cleft Palate Programs at four hospitals, and Crippled Children's Treatment Programs at seven counties in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia. He was a member of program projects committee at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He also worked with the National Institute of Dental Research. He was Visiting Professor at several universities, including the University of Washington, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Texas at Austin. He conducted workshops at more than 50 universities and for many state and regional professional groups. He was a member of the Board, and Chairman of the Professional Development Committee, for the Pennsylvania Easter Seal Society and was active in Easter Seal programs at local, state and national levels. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Governor's Committee on the Handicapped and was a founder of Sigma Alpha Eta, now a student arm of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. His research was in the area of children's communicative problems and their effect on parents. The testing and treatment procedures described in his book, "Articulation Testing and Treatment," are now available in a computerized format. The articulation book and tests have been cited as a "breakthrough" which changed the nature of articulation testing and treatment, and is a prototype for all therapy methods which employ coarticulation. His book, "Understand Those Feelings: A Guide for Parents of Handicapped Children and Everyone Who Works With Them," was chosen as a "Book of the Year" by the Child Study Association of America. He also co-authored a book on Cerebral Palsy, which was regarded as a "standard" text for many years, and he edited several books. He also authored a book on "Teaching Bliss Symbols." Some of his publications were published in Japanese and Spanish. Dr. McDonald was given the highest honor of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He was also honored by the National Student organization, the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the Penn State Communication Science and Affiliated Disorders programs. He was a Distinguished Alumnus of California University of Pennsylvania. Several professional books were dedicated to him in recognition of him as a scholar, clinician, and mentor. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Torch Club, and Elks. He earned the money for his college education by playing saxophone in dance bands in the Monongahela Valley, which sparked his life long enjoyment of music. He was an avid fisherman and especially enjoyed fishing in the lakes of Canada. He was a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in State College, where he served on the Vestry and was active in the Stephen Ministry. He is survived by a daughter, Linda Pallett, of Poolesville, Md.; a son, Thomas, of Lockport, N.Y.; seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. A memorial Eucharist will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, State College. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to contribute to the Stephen Ministry of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Foster Avenue and Fraser Street, State College, 16801.