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This last quinquennium saw
the passing on of a number of leaders and pioneers in the field. Their
legacy of notable contributions will continue to make a significant difference
on the lives of persons who are blid for many years to come. For this they
will be remembered, honoured and sadly missed.
George Lee Abel - Coordinator
of Vision Programs : Professor emeritus at San Francisco State University.
She was a leader in the field on integrated education during the 1950's
when she worked at AFB.
Abdelkebir Bouaouda - Director
of the School for the Deaf in Casablanca and volunteer at the Organisation
Alaouite pour Protection des Aveugles. Mr. Bouaouda died in a car
accident on January 7, 1997. He understood very well the need for
the participation of visually-impaired individuals in the leadership of
organizations aimed at serving them and had been the principal contact
in Morroco for the World Blind Union since the Ivth General Assembly in
1996.
Bob Flowers E.d. D. - Coordinator
of Teachers College, Columbia university, New York City: Teacher training
programs until the 1980's , when he returned to his home out west and worked
in the same capacity for Special Education Teachers at Sacramento State
University; died in 1997.
Mr. Alan W. Johns, CMG, OBE,
SQA - After a gallant fight against motor neuron disease, Alan died on
October 17, 1995. Following a career in teaching and educational
administration overseas, he joined the Royal Commonwealth Society for the
Blind (later to become Sight Savers International) as Deputy Director in
1978 and succeeded Sir John Wilson as its Executive Director in 1984.
Until his retirement in 1994, Alan guided the Society through a period
of rapid expansion. His advocacy in mainstream education enabled
many blind children in developing countries to be taught alongside their
sighted peers, supported by a vigorous policy of teacher training and the
computerized production of Braille textbooks. In addition to his
role as Chairman of the ICEVI Resources Committee from 1987-1992, he also
chaired the Consultative Group of non-governmental organizations to the
World Health Organization's global program for blindness prevention.
From 1990-1994 Alan was President of the International Agency for the Prevention
of Blindness and, as its Secretary-General from 1994 until the time of
his death, continued to play an active role despite the devastating effects
of his illness. Alan is most dearly remembered and sadly missed by
all his colleagues.
Berthold Lowenfeld, Ph.D.
- Educational leader in Vision and Research and Pedagogy for blind children
in the U.S. He helped to stablish the talking book program at AFB in the
1940's and 50's after escaping from Nazi Germany. Became superintendent
of the California School for the Blind until he retired. He is best known
for his publications.
Mrs. Elina Tejerina de Walsh left us on December 18, 1996. She was a teacher of blind children, then Director of the Special School and teacher of teachers. She introduced integration in Argentina many years ago and this had a very positive impact in the whole continent. She was Secretary General of ULAC for two periods and her cooperation with this organization never stopped. At the time of her passing away she was President of the Argentine Association of Professionals Who Work in the Field of Blindness - ASAERCA and was the Editor of its magazine, Visual Disability Today (Discapacidad Visual Hoy).