Charles M. Heuchert, 1933-2011
History of special education and many pals will smile on Chuck
Editor’s note: I originally posted this entry on a blog called “spedpro.org” on 22 September 2011. I’m reprinting it here in a lightly revised form so that readers of Special Education Today will have the opportunity to learn about Chuck’s wonderful contributions to special education. An archival copy of the original post is available through the good services of Archive.org.—JohnL
Charles Melvin Heuchert, noted for his advocacy for special education and his concern about the social-emotional lives of children with disabilities, died 20 September 2011 in Waynesboro (VA, US). Professor Heuchert, who was known as Chuck by many friends and colleagues, was born on 30 August 1933 in Henning (MN, US) to Karl and Amanda Lueker Heuchert. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and a four-time graduate of the University of Michigan, completing Ph.D. studies in 1969.
After teaching engagements at Syracuse University, the University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University, Chuck joined the faculty at the University of Virginia. He was a member of the faculty at U.Va. in the special education program from 1969 through his retirement in 1998, serving in various capacities including as assistant and then associate dean for undergraduate studies and licensure.
Throughout a career that began as a teacher and spanned 40 years, Chuck was an active advocate for students with emotional and behavior disorders and a champion of compassion and caring for student’s emotional needs, promoting child-centered methods such as Life-Space Interviewing and Reality Therapy. In 1973 Chuck co-authored Pain & Joy in School with Edward W. Schultz and Susan M. Stampf and in 1983 he co-authored Child Stress and the School Experience with Schultz. In 1987-88 he served as president of the International Council for Exceptional Children, the world’s largest organization devoted to improving services for individuals with disabilities and the gifted.
Read an obituary from the Waynesboro News Virginian and the Curry School’s in memoriam