A tribute to Robert F. Panara

I thought I’d share the story of a Deaf role model. Every time July rolls around, I think of Robert F. Panara. Who was he? He was the co-founder of my alum mater the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology. At the time, RIT consisted of 8 colleges of which I attended NTID then COLA (College of Liberal Arts). Panara is a pioneer in deaf culture studies.

Born in New York City, Panara lost his hearing when he was 10 years old. He had become ill with meningitis. That didn’t deter him from going to Gallaudet college in Washington DC. After graduation, he taught there until he came to Rochester, NY to found NTID. Additionally, he was also a writer. Some of the poetry he wrote was published in the 90’s.

When I attended RIT as a freshman, Robert Panara’s son was my English professor. That’s when I had learned about his legacy and realized how much his father had done for the Deaf community. I enjoyed hearing some stories from my professor throughout the quarter.

During my second year, I met Panara at a Rochester Red Wings baseball game. He was with his son, my English professor. I had went over to say hi and ended up in a conversation with him. He had the most contagious smile. I fell in love with his storytelling. I could tell how much he loved baseball!

Every time I returned to the stadium I’d look for them in their usual seats. I loved interacting with Panara. He was the happiest guy! I learned more stories about him. I had heard that he met Babe Ruth which he later confirmed, but he didn’t go in the details of the story. I saw a recorded video filmed by his friend after his passing of him explaining the story of how he met the Great Bambino. You could see from the video what a great storyteller Panara was.

NTID named the theater after him in 1987, Panara was very involved in theater and created plays for deaf actors. He founded National Theater of the Deaf (NTD) in New London, Connecticut. I didn’t learn this fact until after I moved to Connecticut. I wasn’t aware of NTD. Unfortunately, around the time I moved to the state NTD was going through changes and relocated from New London. I was sad to learn that they weren’t local to me anymore!

Robert Panara passed away at age of 94 in July 2014. In 2017, the United States Postal Service included Panara in the Distinguished Americans series. There is a stamp of him signing ‘respect’. The image was seen on several posters plastered around NTID and RIT campus while I attended college. It brought back fond memories!

I’m grateful for Robert Panara’s vast contribution to the Deaf community. Without him, I wouldn’t have gone to NTID/RIT. My education and post-college life would have been so different. He became one of my favorite Deaf role models, even though I didn’t learn of him until my adult years. It’s never too late to have new role models! I’m also lucky to have had those interactions with him at one of his favorite loves - baseball. His smile will live on in my memory!

If you want to read more about Robert Panara, I recommend the book: Teaching from the Heart and Soul: The Robert F. Panara Story by Harry Lang.