Appreciation William C. Stokoe: July 21, 1919–April 4, 2000
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During William Stokoe’s lifetime, his name became recognized the world over, among deaf and hearing people, scholars and lay people, as synonymous with the linguistic study of signed languages. And yet my sense is that, whenever people met Bill for the first time, they were always a bit surprised. The man whose name had acquired such mythic proportions just didn’t seem to match the man with the broad smile shaking their hand or giving them a big hug. Deaf people noticed immediately that Bill really couldn’t sign all that well. Linguists often noted that Bill’s background in linguistic theory was sketchy at best. How was it, then, that Bill accomplished what he did? The answer is simple: Bill Stokoe was a consummate scholar. And in looking at what made Bill a true scholar, I think we can all learn a valuable lesson.