Perseverance, generosity, tireless dedication, heartfelt commitment - all qualities that undergraduate student Brian Rasmussen used to describe Dr. Phyllis Perrin Wilcox at the Department of Linguistics December 2006 commencement. Dr. Wilcox held back tears as Rasmussen, a Signed Language Interpreting major, announced that he and fellow student, Vicki Brown, were partnering with an anonymous benefactor to launch an endowed scholarship in her name.

— Click here to see a slideshow from the Endowment presentation event. —

Rasmussen says, "While researching the history of our program, I was literally brought to tears as we listened to the struggles and sacrifices that Phyllis made for this program. Vicki and I made a pact do to everything in our power to create something that would honor Phyllis, but we were going to keep it a secret. Less than two weeks later, we learned that an anonymous benefactor had approached the department wanting to help endow a scholarship. I guess some things are just meant to happen!"

Phyllis is the daughter of Robert and Dorthea Perrin Jr of Ponchatoula. She now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband Sherman, Chair of the Department of Linguistics. Her son Kip Fletcher, a computer graphics expert, lives in Portland, Oregon. Her siblings reside in Louisiana: Dr. Paulette Perrin, Covington; Margaret "Peggy" Sharpe, Covington, and Robert Perrin III, Ponchatoula. Phyllis is a graduate of Ponchatoula High School (1962) and Southeastern Louisiana University (1966).

The Dr. Phyllis Perrin Wilcox Scholarship will be the first endowed in the Signed Language Interpreting Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Mexico, one of the College's fasting growing degree programs. Under Dr. Wilcox's impetus in 1983, the program was established to meet the growing demand for professional interpreters fueled by legislative mandates for signed language interpretation in schools, hospitals, courts and other public settings. In its first year, 58 students applied for the twelve interpreting major slots allocated to the program.

Now roughly 1000 students enroll annually in various signed language classes. Many have family members who are deaf or they work with deaf people; others plan to use their signing skills as professionals in such fields as counseling, education, linguistics, speech and language pathology, anthropology, and psychology. Only 15 majors, however, are admitted into the interpreting education program each year, ensuring considerable individual attention and intensive one-on-one guidance in the final practicum experience.

Throughout its history, the program has been shaped by Wilcox's commitments to the language and culture of the deaf community. Her research has contributed to understanding of the roles of metaphor and grammar in signed languages, and the practice of teaching ASL as a second language; and her service to the deaf community in national and local level institutions is unparalleled. According to her students, however, it is as a teacher that she has most made her mark. Whether at UNM or in the countless other settings in which she teaches, she has inspired students for more than 35 years to love and serve a language and a community. "It has been an honor to have Phyllis as a teacher, mentor, and friend," says recent graduate Lindsey Perehoduk. "All that she has worked so hard to achieve, through the collaboration of many wonderful people, will continue to have life-changing effects for years to come."

A minimum of $15,000 is needed to endow a scholarship at UNM, yielding an annual student scholarship award of approximately $750. To help kick-off the fundraising effort, the anonymous benefactor has generously offered to match all gifts, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000. If you wish to honor Dr. Wilcox with a gift to the Dr. Phyllis Perrin Wilcox Scholarship Fund, you may contact William Uher, Senior Director of Development, at 505-277-5426 or uher@unm.edu. 

Click here to see a slideshow from the Endowment presentation event