Memorial Service for Gary Sanderson

CSUN Family & Friends,

We announce with deep sorrow that Gary Sanderson, 57, passed away on May 12, 2011. Gary was respected and loved by so many. Gary practically grew up at CSUN, having been around campus while his dad, Dr. Robert (Sandie) Sanderson was a student in the National Leadership Training Program. Gary attended CSUN as a student, and later worked at CSUN as an interpreter and outreach coordinator. He served as an interim director of the CSUN National Center on Deafness for 2 years. His career at CSUN, on the behalf of the Deaf and ASL Users community, spanned 38 years. He retired from CSUN two years ago, due to health complications.

CSUN was the first university nationally to provide professional interpreter services for Deaf and hard of hearing college students. Gary was one of the early interpreters, whom other interpreters tried to emulate and whom students got to know and admire, over the decades. Gary is well known and loved by the community as an interpreter extraordinaire as well as an exemplary interpreter trainer, who excelled at entertaining the audiences while educating them with his wry stories and styles. Off campus, he was known nationally and internationally as "Mr. CSUN." His services were always in demand everywhere.

Gary has received awards and recognition from national organizations such as the Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, and others.

The family has asked that cards be sent to them in care of his life partner, Norman DeGroot at 1547 Murray Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

The memorial service for Gary will be Saturday afternoon, 1 – 4:30 pm, August 27, in the Northridge Center, USU, at CSUN. Updates will be shared on the NCOD website.

Gary's everlasting contributions and his years of loving dedication to the Deaf and ASL Users community and to the education of deaf and hard of hearing students and interpreters will be deeply missed.

Roz Rosen, Director

National Center on Deafness (NCOD)