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IN
MEMORIUM - DR. RICHARD L. MASLAND (1910-2003)
Dr. Richard L. (Dick) Masland was an insightful, brilliant, and
kind individual whose accomplishments were significant, and who
enhanced the lives of all he met. At different points in his life
he was Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Orton Dyslexia Society
(now the International Dyslexia Association), head of The National
Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, Clinical Professor
of Neurology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey, Rutgers Medical School, and Past President of the World
Federation of Neurology. He updated their newsletter into a scientific
journal.
From 1959-1968, he served as Director of the National Institute
of Neurobiological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes
of Health. In 1968, he began teaching at Columbia University where
he was chairman of the Neurology Department of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons. In 1974, he became the H. Houston Merritt Professor
of Neurology, emeritus. During 1976, he served as Executive Director
of the Health and Human Welfare DepartmentŐs Commission for the
Control of Epilepsy and its Consequences.
He wrote over 80 articles in journals of neurology, and numerous
chapters and books, including several in the Annals of Dyslexia,
for instance, "The Advantages of Being Dyslexic" (1976,
Annals of Dyslexia, 26, 10-18. He also edited the works of
several others in the field. He and his wife, Mary (Molly) Masland,
a speech and language pathologist, edited Preschool Prevention
of Reading Failure (1988) Timonium: York Press.
Dick and Molly raised four talented children - Tom, a journalist
with Newsweek; Sarah, a special educator; Frances, an artist;
and Richard H., a professor of neuroscience at Harvard University.
Among them, there are seven grandchildren.
He mentored a few individuals, including this editor, for twenty
years, as did Molly, who continues to offer valuable input and support.
He recognized the value of my research early on and greatly contributed
to and encouraged it, often telling me, "It takes courage to
be a pioneer." I am tremendously grateful he was able to assist
me at the inception of my research, and knew I completed it for
presentation.
Those who knew him sorely miss him, yet we are fortunate to have
benefited from his expertise, support, and gentle spirit. His legacy
includes not only his own work and that of his family, but also
the work of those he influenced, which continues to assist those
who struggle with dyslexia, and appreciate its alleviation.
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