Sadanand Singh

SINGH Dr. SADANAND SINGH (Age 76) Dr. Sadanand Singh, died February 27, 2010, in La Jolla, California. A noted scholar, academic, educator author, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Sadanand Singh led an amazingly fruitful life that helped to shape and influence countless numbers of people across the United States and around the world. Dr. Singh was born in 1934 in a small agricultural village without electricity or running water in the state of Bihar in northern India. Though predestined to become a farmer, Dr. Singh followed a different path shaped by his love of the written word and the desire to educate. He left his remote home to become the first member of his family to earn a college degree. He went on to receive his Master''s of Literature from India''s Bihar University, in 1958, followed by a Ph.D. in Aesthetics from India''s Ranchi University, in 1963. His developing reputation as a scholar reached far beyond Indian borders, leading to an invitation from Ohio State University to join its faculty. He moved to America to accept the position, and in 1965 earned his second doctorate, in Speech and Hearing Science. He joined the faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1967 as a professor and department head, but he returned to Ohio to become Professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Ohio University, from 1969 to 1971. This was followed by a position of Professor and Director of the Speech and Hearing Laboratory at the University of Texas in Houston and remained there until 1980, when he became professor and chairman of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at San Diego State University. Among his most treasured roles was that of author. His scholarly work has helped shape the field of speech and hearing, with numerous works including a notable treatise on phonetics, now in its third edition. His success as an author and editor led him into his next career -- that of publisher. In 1980, he and his wife, Kala, an audiologist herself, founded College Hill Press. College Hill became one of the most influential publishing companies in the speech and hearing sciences, with more than 250 titles in print. It was subsequently acquired in 1986 by Time Inc. through its subsidiary Little, Brown & Company of Boston. Tragedy struck the Singhs in 1986. While returning from a family visit to India, Kala Singh was killed during the attempted hijacking of Pan Am flight 73. Dr. Singh and their two young children were seriously injured. While recuperating from the traumatic and harrowing experience, Dr. Singh wrote two manuscripts that remain unpublished. Several years later, he rebounded and married Angie in 1990. Together, they created Singular Publishing Group. Eight years later, Singular had more than 350 titles and seven journals in print. Dr. Singh attempted retirement in 1999, when Singular was acquired by Thomson Delmar (now Delmar Cengage). However, instead of resting on his already notable laurels, he founded ContentScan. The Internet-based literature search program was later acquired by Cambridge Information Group. In 2004, he and his wife, Angie, founded Plural Publishing, which today has a vibrant and growing list of titles in speech, language, voice disorders, swallowing disorders, singing, otolaryngology and audiology. During his many careers, Dr. Singh received a wealth of professional awards and recognitions. A partial list includes three honorary degrees, honorary Phi Beta Kappa membership, the Wilber Gould Highest Honors award from the American Voice Foundation and the Distinguished Services Award from the Council of Graduate Programs in Communication Services and Disorders. In 2004, San Diego State University honored him with the endowed Sadanand Singh Professorship in Communication Sciences and Disorders. And in 2006, he received the Honors of the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association -- the professional association''s rarely bestowed highest award -- as well as the Lybarger Award, the highest honor of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Sadanand Singh had not only a brilliant mind; he also had a huge heart. Family was at the forefront of his priorities. Despite the distance of miles, he and his brothers spoke daily. He spent much of his time with his twin teenage daughter and son, his adult children from previous marriages and their children. He also returned to India to visit family annually. It seems that every field this man, who had been predestined to be a farmer, touched proved fertile. In addition to seeking balance through cultivating a prolific edible garden in his sprawling backyard, Dr. Singh cultivated scores of lifelong friendships. This Ph.D. integrated his academic understanding of aesthetics with a practical pursuit in his life through his travels, entertaining engaging conversations and turning friends into family. He was a voracious reader, and relatives recall his ability to recite in an instant a bit of ancient wisdom or lines from a poem to fit any situation. He has passed that appreciation for family and his affection for and focus on education across generations of relatives. Dr. Singh is survived by his wife of two decades, Angie, two sons, five daughters, thirteen grandchildren, one great grandchild and three brothers. He also leaves behind a long list of extended family and friends. His proud legacy lives on with them all. A public memorial service is being planned for mid April. Charitable donations in the name of Dr. Sadanand Singh are appreciated. For additional information, contact dr.singh.memorial@gmail.com ">dr.singh.memorial@gmail.com . dr.singh.memorial@gmail.com.