Charlie Diggs

Charles Clayton Diggs Jr. (Charlie) died unexpectedly on July 31, 2006. He was the son of Charles C. and Helen Diggs and father of Kathryn, Christopher, and Cameron. His funeral was held at St. John Roman Catholic Church in the Wildelake Interfaith Center in Columbia, MD with internment in Meadowridge Memorial Park (information from the Baltimore Sun 8/4/2006).

Charlie wrote a paper for the first ISAD online conference in 1998 (Consumer Self-Help and Professional Associations - http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad/papers/diggs.html). His bio at that time was

After receiving his Ph.D. from Purdue University, Charlie taught for seven years in speech-language pathology and audiology departments at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and the University of Maryland, College Park, and practiced as a speech-language pathologist. Charlie has been a staff member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) National Office for more than 18 years. Currently ASHA's director of Consumer Advocacy, Charlie has also served as Assistant Director, Clinic and Hospital Program; as Director, Speech-Language Pathology Branch; and, as Deputy Executive Director of ASHA's consumer affiliate, the National Association for Hearing and Speech Action. Charlie has authored nine journal articles, written or edited five books or book chapters, and made 42 presentations, most recently at the Second World Congress on Fluency Disorders and the annual meeting of the National Stuttering Project.

Charlie was named an ASHA Fellow at the 2005 ASHA convention. He continued working at the ASHA national office until his death.

Ken St. Louis remembered Charlie in a post to the mailing list SID4@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU on August 02, 2006. It is included below with his permission.

I was stunned to learn of his death. Charlie and I started our new post-Ph.D. careers together at Plattsburgh, NY in 1973. We worked together for three years. We struggled, celebrated, complained, achieved, grew, and began our academic careers together. Our families spent lots of time together, but moving away before our kids were born and subsequent divorces for both of us essentially eliminated the connections with the rest of the families. Yet, Charlie and I have stayed in touch all these years. We both looked forward to the annual short or long interlude at ASHA where we caught up on each other. It was kind of like one of those movies where short visits last a lifetime. Our only official collaboration occurred a few years ago when Charlie served on the original task force for the international initiative to measure public attitudes.

Of course I will miss Charlie big time. But I am at a loss because it was just the two of us who stayed connected. This seems to be the first time I have faced the death of an old friend and did not know someone in his or her family to whom I could send my condolences. I cannot make it to DC this weekend for the wake or funeral. Therefore, I'm sending my thoughts to all of you out there, who indeed are part of a special family.

Charlie was a great guy, a good friend with a big heart and a great sense of humor. He was an important influence either in the forefront or behind the scenes for most of ASHA's programs to bring consumers into dialogue with SLPs. I'll miss his insights, his dedication, and his whimsy. And if I can be as unholy as we often were together, I'll even miss his stuttering.

Goodbye, old friend....

Ken

A Tribute to Charlie Diggs . . . a colleague, mentor, coach, friend and "guardian angel" by the Nevada Speech-Language and Hearing Association.