Nelson L. Treece *73

This is a corrected version of a Memorial published in the Oct. 26, 2011, issue.

Nelson Treece, for whom educating the deaf became a main focus of his career, died March 31, 2011. He was 61.

Treece graduated from Pomona College in 1971, and received a master’s in linguistics from Princeton in 1973. After Princeton, he immersed himself in deaf culture at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the premier university for the education of the deaf. Treece earned a master’s in education at Gallaudet and began teaching in 1979. He became an assistant professor at Gallaudet and eventually was chair of its English department.

Treece, who was not deaf, was known by his colleagues for his command of American Sign Language.

In 1991, Treece received a doctorate in education from Harvard. He advised students, especially deaf children, from preschoolers to doctoral candidates. Treece concluded his career at the Maine Education Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

He is survived by his cousin, William L. Treece, and his family.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.