Lew Polsgrove passed away

Could he already be playing saxophone with some band in the afterlife?

Lewis J. Polsgrove, Jr., a long-time professor of special education at Indiana University at Bloomington and a leader among professionals concerned with the success of children and youths with emotional and behavior disorders and their educators, died the evening of 28 June 2023 in Bloomington, IN (US). Lew was the son of Leona E and Lewis J. Polsgrove. He was born 25 February 1939 in Galveston, TX (US).

Lew Polsgrove, November 2010. Photo by John Wills Lloyd.

Lew devoted much of his professional career to serving students with EBD and their teachers. His scholarship and advocacy in EBD covered a wide range of topics, from behavior management through self-control, and from technology to policies and issues. He authored and co-authored over 100 articles, chapters, and books and was a frequent presenter at professional conferences (e.g., Teacher Educators of Children with Behavior Disorders). Along the way Lew collaborated with many noted special educators including C. Michael Nelson (Lew’s doctoral advisor), James M. Kauffman, Herbert J. Rieth, Terry Scott, Russ Skiba, and many others.

Lew held multiple offices in the Council for Children Behavior Disorders (now Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health) of the Council for Exceptional Children. He served as treasurer (1980-1982), vice president (1986-1987), president elect (1987-1988), president 1988-1989), and past president (1989-1990).

Upon his retirement from IU in 2003, Lew wrote a recollection of his time in special education. He recalled being a young counsellor in 1966 at the “camp” of a state-run juvenile facility; he was summoned by the supervisor at 1:00 AM to the camp where, he reported, he

[W]itnessed an unforgettable spectacle. About 30 boys were engaged in an out-right riot. Several had climbed high up on the water tower that stood in the center of the facility. Others had found their way to the roofs of the cottages and were cursing and raining gravel down on the staff, who were, in turn, cursing and threatening them with restrictions. Three or four kids were busily kicking in windows. A couple of the older boys had broken into the super’s office, taken the keys to the state pickup, and were driving it around the grounds. The super was chasing kids right and left, cursing them loudly; occasionally, he’d catch one and hold him in an effort to calm him down. The assistant super had taken a few down to the cafeteria to make them sandwiches in a frantic attempt to meet their “basic needs.” (Polsgrove, 2003, p. 221)

In that article, Lew went on to lament both how little things had changed during the course of his 40-year career (he told stories about witnessing similarly misguided efforts to “help” children) but also how much improvement those years brought to the area of EBD. He catalogued many contributions of his colleagues in developing and promoting humane and effective methods of teaching behavioral skills and social competence.

Lew was usually full of wit and wisdom, sometimes tinged with a bit of snark. You could quite frequently find him smiling, even if the discussion was very serious; he seemed to see the humor, even in difficult situations. Our friend, Tim, said that a “wry smile seemed to be his resting face.”

Lew was an ardent fan of jazz. He was especially fond of bebop, but he knew free and avant-garde forms, too. He’d often have a tale to tell about having discovered a new artist. And, he played, too. He was an accomplished saxophonist; I watched him determine what a band was doing and effortlessly join in with them. So, in answer to the question in the subtitle of this post, “Yes.”

Lew is survived by Sue, his wife, and their children Jay and Kiz. Certainly, the Polsgove family will miss him terrifically. I send them my condolences.

Many of his professional family will join them in sadness that we’ll never again have a chance to enjoy his witty comments and wry smile…but, man, it sure is great to know that we had those chances. He celebrated increased awareness, improved training and focused research. He summarized his experiences by writing that “throughout all this time…I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been associated with smart, funny, dedicated, caring, and supportive colleagues—my professional family” (p. 225). Well, LewP, you were a mainstay in that “smart, funny, dedicated, caring, and supportive” group.

Source

Polsgrove, L. (2003). Reflections on the past and future. Behavioral Disorders, 28(3), 221-226. https://doi.org/10.1177/019874290302800312

• Ed’s note: This post has been edited 1:00 PM 29 June to correct a couple of factual mistakes (Lew’s son’s name and the actual death date). —JohnL