Rochester Hearing and Speech Center President passes at 60
 ROCHESTER, NY – December 4 - Peter K. Hixson, Ph.D., President of Rochester Hearing and Speech Center (RHSC), passed away Sunday, December 2, 2007 at age 60 after a courageous battle with cancer. He had been president of RHSC, an Al Sigl Center partner agency, for over 17 years.
“He was passionate about RHSC and its mission of bringing communication to life,” said Al Sigl Center President Daniel Meyers. “His commitment overflowed to his leadership work on behalf of the Al Sigl Center partners and the entire service community.”
Hixson hailed from Chicago and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University, and his doctorate from Purdue University. Prior to arriving in Rochester he worked as supervisor of special education placement services in the Omaha, NE public school system, and as the coordinator of the early childhood language programs for the Boys Town Institute for Communication Disorders in Children. He was excited and energized by the challenge of leading the already well-established non-profit agency into its next phase of service to children and adults with communication problems in the Rochester community.
He was a man of great intellect and varied interests, and his vision for the agency became a reality as the agency staff, under his leadership, developed unique and innovative programs that took hold and grew.
Former RHSC board president Greg Litz remembers Hixson as a man of many talents, always willing to share his trust and experience to further advance the efforts of the agency.
“Upon assuming his new leadership role [as President], Peter quickly demonstrated his capabilities to deal with the variety of challenges and opportunities facing the agency,” said Litz. “It was a significant milestone in RHSC’s evolution on its journey to be the premier hearing and speech center in Rochester it is today.”
His interests and efforts were first and foremost for people, and he freely shared his expertise in planning and thinking outside the box with RHSC staff, on committees and on boards in other non-profit community agencies.
Hixson served on the board of Alternatives for Battered Women, was on the Genesee Valley United Church of Christ Ministry Committee, the Rochester Early Literacy Partnership Advisory Board, and was a member of Rochester Rotary Club, as well as many others throughout his time in Rochester.
Over the years he was an active contributor of ideas and creative thinking on United Way initiatives and committees, including the United Way Task Force on Impact Area Locations, the Return on Investment Task Force, and the Provider Relations Committee, and he offered assistance and advice to many other community agencies.
He was proud of the agency’s involvement with the Al Sigl Center Partnership, for which he was the current chair of the Agency’s Directors’ Committee, and he embraced the idea of doing more for the community with shared resources.
“He was the kind of colleague you hope for: always there, always with fresh insight, always with the warm hand of friendship,” said Meyers.
Catherine Frangenberg, current RHSC board vice chair, recalls her strongest memories of Hixson as a compassionate and sensitive leader.
“After chairing an RHSC event, I received a gift of a yellow tea rose plant, with a wonderful thank you note from Peter,” said Frangenberg. “He took time from his busy day to write the note, which is rare among executives today. I planted the tea roses in the garden, where they continued to blossom and grow. Now every time I see those lovely yellow roses, I think of Peter.”
Hixson’s strategic vision, toward which he worked tirelessly, was for RHSC to set national standards of practice for customers, staff, volunteers, and for the services the agency offers. It was Hixson who created and gave life to the agency’s mission with the words “Communication for Life,” which made a commitment to help children and adults with communication difficulties achieve their dreams through innovative speech and hearing services. Under his leadership, the agency expanded and began taking its speech and hearing services to individuals and families in Greece and in Webster. It now serves approximately 20,000 clients within the Greater Rochester Area.
“We measure a person on the basis of their good works, good deeds and good words. On these scales, Peter Hixson was a truly good man,” said James DeCaro, immediate past chair of RHSC’s Board of Directors.
Friends and colleagues remember Hixson as a man with zest for life; he was a writer, a dancer, a choreographer, a poet, a mentor, a speech-language pathologist, a church council member, a one-time volunteer fireman, a carpenter and much more.
“Peter displayed an amazing combination of talents,” said Meyers. “He had a dancer’s body and poet’s heart that powered a scholar’s mind and leader’s vision.”
“He truly was the classic Renaissance Man,” said Litz. “He brought a dimension to my life that made it a privilege to have known him and I will miss him deeply.”
Hixson is survived by wife Lois Benedict of Webster; daughter Julia Murtha of Morristown, NJ; daughter Elizabeth Hixson of New York City; and granddaughter Gabrielle Murtha of Morristown, NJ.
Calling hours will take place Friday the 7th at Anthony Funeral Home on Monroe Ave. from 3 – 5 p.m. and 7 – 9 p.m. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday the 8th at the Durand United Church of Christ in Irondequoit. Memorial contributions may be made out to Rochester Hearing and Speech Center.
Contact: Rachel Henderson
Marketing/Development Coordinator
(585) 271-0680 x673
rhenderson@rhsc.org |
