In Memoriam: Gerald Studebaker, PhD

Gerald Arthur Studebaker, age 86, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 2, 2018. “Jerry” was born July 22, 1932, in Freeport, Illinois. He graduated from Freeport High School and then attended Illinois State Normal University where he received his bachelor’s degree in education of the deaf in 1955. He then attended graduate school at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, where he received his master’s degree in 1956 and his PhD in 1960, both in audiology.

After two years with the Veterans Administration in Washington, DC, he embarked on an academic career, which was to span more than 40 years. It started at the University of Oklahoma where he was appointed assistant professor in 1962. In 1972 he was appointed professor at Memphis State University (MSU). He moved to the City University of New York in 1976 and the returned to MSU in 1979 where he continued his career as researcher and graduate school teacher until his retirement in 2005. During his 43-year academic career, Dr. Studebaker taught a variety of courses mainly concerning the foundations of audiology, psychoacoustics, and hearing research methods.

His research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than 25 years. He was awarded a seven-year Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator award by the NIH in 1984. He received two Distinguished Research awards and at least 10 other awards recognizing his research from The University of Memphis. He received a Research Career award from the American Academy of Audiology in 1997. He was elected Fellow by the American-Speech-Language and Hearing Association in 1969, by the Acoustical Society of America in 1990, and by the American Academy of Audiology in 1990. He was author or coauthor of more than 200 published and unpublished scientific and professional papers and book chapters.

The Academy and our affiliated organizations are honored to recognize Dr. Studebaker and his accomplishments. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.