Since 1967, the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center has housed the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders—one of the first programs of speech pathology and audiology in the nation.

On August 2, 2025, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends came together to celebrate WenJo’s remarkable history and honor its impact as we moved into the Health Sciences Academic Building. Throughout the day, attendees reminisced, reconnected, and reflected on the ways WenJo shaped their careers and lives. 

Thank you to our wonderful community who joined us for this special celebration. Your presence, stories, and support, whether through attending, sharing memories, or making a gift, ensure WenJo’s legacy will inspire generations to come.

Broad Band takes center stage

Paul and the band

Paul Kileny, alumnus of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, performed with the alumni band, “Broad Band,” during the Wendell Johnson Commemorative Event.

Kileny earned his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1978 and served as a professor and academic program director of audiology at the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine. In 2019, he was honored as the distinguished alumnus by CSD.

Walk down memory lane

Alyssa Pegler

Alyssa Pegler

I spent a lot of time in Wenjo when I changed my major to Speech and Hearing Sciences! It was really cool to get to experience the anechoic chamber in one of my classes. I would point it out to friends and family on game days. 

Ozzie Diaz Duque

Ozzie Diaz Duque

I cherish my time there as a student of Julia Davis (1930-2013) and my later work with Charlie Anderson. I remember fondly Jill Elfenbein (1951-2010) when we lived in South Quad as graduate students. My work in ASL and Deaf Studies began at Wendell Johnson.

Abby Ellerbroek in China

Abby (Julius) Ellerbroek

The 2014 China Project was an unforgettable experience!

Ji Young Na with class of 2012

Ji Young Na

The class of 2012 in the M.A. program spent most of their days at Wendell Johnson together and enjoyed learning and helping each other. I am so proud of our team!

Ted Madison with alumni

Ted Madison

The courses and clinical experiences were outstanding. The audiology faculty in the early 1980s made such an impact on my career: Julia Davis, David Hawkins, Jane Collins, and Charlie Anderson in addition to Arnold Small, Paul Abbas, Jim Hardy, Bob Schum and all the others. But my favorite memories are the laughs and friendship I shared with fellow students. Remembering especially "Tailgating" on the loading dock on football Saturdays, talent shows and Christmas parties, shared lunches in the student lounge, road trips to remote clinic events around the state, pickup football games and so much more. So much fun!

Wendy Jo Fick

Wendy Fick

I have worked in WenJo for over 30 years, more than half of my life and all of my professional life. In that time I've worked in 6 different labs for 8 different principal investigators doing everything from making hooked-wire electrodes for EMG experiments, to collecting speech motor data using strain gauges, to "capping" subjects for EEG experiments involving children with developmental language disorders, children who stutter, and children who are hard of hearing. My best memories are always the wonderful people I've gotten to work for and work with in my experiences. Smart, funny, kind, and always pushing to do their best work possible. Of course, there are occasional moments of silliness too, like when Jerry Moon, Julie Barkmeier, and I inhaled a little helium and recorded a video of us singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" for the department holiday program. Or helping to give a tour of the building to a local elementary school class and letting them go in the Anachoic Chamber to scream. Or the end-of-semester parties in Beth Walker's lab where we eat lunch while watching videos of Beth's high school fire baton twirling performance. So many good memories and hopefully a lot more to be made!

Submit your memories

Since 1967, the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center housed the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders--one of the oldest and largest programs of it's kind. As we transition and prepare for our move to the new Health Sciences Academic Building, please share fond memories, stories, and highlights of your time spent mentoring, teaching, training, researching, learning, collaborating, and more in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center.

Please consider providing your phone and/or email in the event we'd like to connect regarding the experience(s) you share.

Please upload any images or other memorabilia you'd like to share of your time in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center.
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Discover our legacy and impact

Students and ASHA leadership interact

ASHA marks 100-year anniversary with visit to its hometown of Iowa City

Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Current and past members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) board of directors took part in a two-day visit. The visit featured a roundtable discussion and a professional development seminar.
Photo

How CSD has shaped speech pathology and audiology

Monday, July 14, 2025
From a $50 lab investment to a century of global impact, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa helped launch a profession.
Aerial photo of the Pentacrest at the University of Iowa

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A student and child working in a CSD lab.

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If you cannot attend the event, you can still support the work of our faculty and students and the future of the program by making a gift.