Voices: Past and Present

This site was developed to preserve classic speeches and interviews, some complete and some partial, on the topic of stuttering. It starts with files extracted from audiotapes recorded by some early professionals who have left important marks on the field of speech-language pathology in the areas of Fluency and Fluency Disorders. All the speeches and interviews were made available here with permission of the individuals or their families. The materials are freely available for you to use; credit should be given to the individual, the website where you found them, and Judy Kuster.

This project gratefully acknowledges the support of a Minnesota State University, Mankato Faculty Research Grant in the spring semester of 2004, and the help of the university tech staff, especially Christian Andrew Dinger and Agnes Lumenta, and Bill Fabian in Australia, as well as those who made the tapes available — Ed Feuer, Jane Fraser, Steve Hood, Lee Reeves, Fred Murray, Woody Starkweather, Nathan Mayfield, Martine Vanryckeghem, Mike Bauer and Peter Reitzes — and all those who gave their permission to put these valuable materials online.

We are fortunate to have this panel presentation available. Fred Murray tells the story of running into Joseph Sheehan, who was facilitating the panel, in the hall at the convention, wondering if the panel was going to be audio taped. Sheehan responded that there were no plans to do that, but if Murray could arrange it, that would be all right. Murray, out of his own pocket, found someone to record it for $100, which at that time was a considerable sum. Thanks to Fred's quick thinking and generosity, this classic has been preserved.

	Charles Van Riper Listen (20:50) Read more about Charles Van Riper here Added June 4, 2003.		S. Waldo Coleman Listen (15:30) Added July 10, 2003
	Joseph Sheehan Listen (18:30) Read more about Joseph Sheehan here Added July 1, 2003.		Charles Bluemel Listen (16:45) Read more about Charles Bluemel here Added July 1, 2003.
	John Clancy Listen (8:30) Added July 1, 2003.		Wendell Johnson Listen (19:00) Read more about Wendell Johnson here Added July 1, 2003.
	Dean Williams Listen (11:55) Read more about Dean Williams here Added January 29, 2004.		James Frick Listen (13:20) Added November 28, 2011.

These are short mp3 files and can be listened to with either Quick Time or Real Audio.

The following section will preserve excerpts from a symposium on stuttering held at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, in the summer of 1959. It was supported by an Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Grant. The presenters, most who had made a name for themselves in the area of stuttering, converged in Madison that summer from various university settings. They included

• Bryng Bryngelson from the University of Minnesota
• Joseph Sheehan from UCLA, California
• Charles Van Riper from Western Michigan University
• Jon Eisenson from Queens College, CUNY
• Wendell Johnson from the University of Iowa
• Oliver Bloodstein from Brooklyn College of City University of New York
• Albert T. Murphy from Boston University
• Carl Rogers, a noted psychologist who was on the UW faculty at the time. and is not typically associated with "stuttering."

Reel-to-reel tapes of several of these presentations are in the possession of the Stuttering Foundation of American and Fred Murray. The tapes themselves were in excellent condition (once I found a tape recorder that could play them!). However, the lectures are long, and some of the 7-inch reel-to-reel tapes tapes I received contained only segments of the lectures with the rest of the lecture apparently on a tape that is missing What is below is not the entire lecture presented in 1959. I extracted and edited to produce segments (from 7 to 35 minutes long) of several of the lectures that give a flavor of the symposium and provide insight into the thinking of these pioneers at that time. The recordings are of historical interest and may or may not reflect the thinking of the presenters at a later date. What they presented should not be taken as their final ideas on cause or treatment of stuttering, nor should their presentations take the place of exploring treatment or ideas about stuttering from the current generation of pioneers.

The presenters were introduced by two voices I recognized well - John Irwin and Lois Nelson who were both still in the Department of Communication Disorders at the UW-Madison campus when I was a student there. In fact, some of these tapes were played on a Wollensak recorder in the class on stuttering that I took from Dr. Nelson.

	Carl Rogers Essential Conditions for Change Listen (32:25) Read more about Carl Rogers here added January 31, 2004		Carl Rogers What is the process of counseling and therapy? Listen (8:15) Questions and Answers - Carl Rogers Read more about Carl Rogers here added February 16, 2004
	Bryng Bryngelson Neuroanatomical and Neurophysiological Considerations of Stuttering Listen (29:10) Read more about Bryng Bryngelson here added April 18, 2004		Wendell Johnson The Onset of Stuttering Listen (34:40) Read more about Wendell Johnson here added April 28, 2004
	Charles Van Riper Concepts of Group Therapy Listen (35:00) Read more about Charles Van Riper here Added May 5, 2004.		Jon Eisenson The Case for the Physical Cause of Stuttering Listen (18:00) Added May 4, 2004.
	Joseph Sheehan Stuttering as a Conflict of Status and Role Listen (28:00) Read more about Joseph Sheehan here Added May 6, 2004		Oliver Bloodstein The Nature of Stuttering - "An Anticipatory Struggle Concept of Stuttering." Listen (25:00) Added May 3, 2004 with permission of Oliver Bloodstein.
	Albert T. Murphy Introductory Overview Listen (25:00) Read more about Albert Murphy here Added June 30, 2004

 

From the 1968 Panel Discussion on "Recovery"
ASHA Convention, Denver, Colorado

	Thomas Alexander Listen (13:15) Placed online October 9, 2003, with the permission of Thomas Alexander		Hugo Gregory Listen (11:30) Added June 4, 2003, with permission of Dr. Gregory.
	William Shearer Listen (9:35) Placed online June 29, 2003, with the permission of Dr. Shearer.		Lee Edward Travis Listen (11:20) Read more about Lee Edward Travis here Placed online August 3, 2003.
	Albert T. Murphy Listen (9:00) Read more about Albert T. Murphy here Placed online August 3, 2003.

 

From the 1977 Panel Discussion on "Recovery"
ASHA Convention

	James L. Aten Listen (21:00) Placed online June 6, 2003, with the permission of Dr. Aten		Hal Luper Listen (10:40) Read more about Hal Luper here Placed online June 6, 2003.
	Gerald Moses Listen (18:00) Placed online June 6, 2003, with the permission of Dr. Moses.		Michael Tebb Listen (14:50) Placed online July 3, 2003, with the permission of Michael Tebb.
	Joseph Sheehan Listen (19:55) Read more about Joseph Sheehan here Placed online June 6, 2003.		Fred Murray Listen (18:25) Placed online June 8, 2003, with the permission of Fred Murray.
	Dean Williams Listen (20:05) Read more about Dean Williams here Placed online October 9, 2003		Theodore Peters Listen (15:50) Placed online April 11, 2019

 

From the 1984 Panel tribute in memory of Joseph Sheehan
ASHA Convention

	George Shames Listen (21:55) Placed online June 7, 2003, with the permission of Dr. Shames.		Kenneth Knepflar Listen (17:00) Placed online June 8, 2003
	Eugene Cooper Listen (25:05) Placed online June 8, 2003 with the permission of Dr. Cooper.		Oliver Bloodstein Listen (22:30) Placed online July 8, 2003 with the permission of Dr. Bloodstein.
	Vivian Sheehan Listen (12:30) Placed online July 22, 2003 with the permission of Vivian Sheehan.

 

From the 1996 Panel Discussion on "Recovery"
ASHA Convention, Seattle, Washington

	Walter Manning Listen (10:20) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Walt Manning.		Robert Quesal Listen (16:45) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Robert Quesal.
	William Murphy Listen (18:25) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Bill Murphy.		Barry Guitar Listen (16:00) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Barry Guitar.
	David Daly Listen (12:25) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of David Daly.		Peter Ramig Listen (15:50) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Peter Ramig.
	Ken St. Louis Listen (18:00) Added July 1, 2003 with permission of Ken St. Louis		Lois Nelson Listen (21:30) Added July 2, 2003 with permission of Lois Nelson.

This presentation was recorded through the generous loan of a Marantz digital recorder, from Peter Papageorge, one of the exhibitors at the ASHA convention. Since there were no recording services at the 2003 convention, without his offer to loan a recorder, this presentation would not have been preserved.

	Robert Quesal Listen (10:20) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Robert Quesal.		Lawrence Molt Listen (16:45) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Larry Molt.
	William Murphy Listen (20:30) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Bill Murphy.		Judith Eckhardt Listen (21:25) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Judith Eckhardt.
	Kenneth Logan Listen (23:25) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Ken Logan.		Rod Gabel Listen (17:45) Added February 12, 2004 with permission of Rod Gabel.

This presentation was recorded by Tom Kuster. The audio of each presentation is accompanied by a PowerPoint slide show.
A video DVD of the entire presentation at the convention is also available at cost by contacting Judy Kuster

<	Judy Kuster Listen (6:55) PPT accompanying introduction of Voices: Past and Present Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Judy Kuster.	<	Mark Allen Listen (14:35) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Mark Allen.
<	Kristin Chmela Listen (16:15) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Kristin Chmela.	<	Kevin Eldridge Listen (15:25) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Kevin Eldridge. Kevin wishes to credit Kristin Chmela for introducing him to the expression "person who stutters sometimes."
<	Joseph Klein Listen (14:20) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Joseph Klein.	<	Scott Palasik Listen (10:41) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Scott Palasik.
<	Gary Rentschler Listen (14:15) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 30, 2011 with permission of Gary Rentschler.	<	David Shapiro Listen (14:05) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of David Shapiro.
<	Dale Williams Listen (11:45) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2011 with permission of Dale Williams.		A video DVD of the entire presentation at the convention is also available at cost by contacting Judy Kuster

This presentation was recorded by Tom Kuster. Below is the audio of each presentation along with a PowerPoint that accompanied each speaker's presentation.
A video DVD of the entire presentation at the convention is also available at cost by contacting Judy Kuster

	Judy Kuster Listen (11;35) PPT accompanying introduction of Voices: Past and Present Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Judy Kuster.		Charlie Hughes Listen (12:55) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Charlie Hughes.
	Michael Boyle Listen (12:30) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Michael Boyle.		Anthony Buhr Listen (7:30) A short video mentioned in the PPT is HERE PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Anthony Buhr.
	Derek Daniels Listen (10:30) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Derek Daniels.		David Evans Listen (13:50) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of David Evans.
	Caryn Herring Listen (14:00) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 30, 2019 with permission of Caryn Herring.		Naomi Rodgers Listen (14:12) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Naomi Rodgers.
	Eric Swartz Listen (13:55) PPT that accompanied presentation Added November 28, 2019 with permission of Eric Swartz.

The audio clips below are of edited versions of people talking about their ideas at the time of the presentation about the nature of stuttering. Important disclaimer: The speeches are provided here for their historical significance, and reflect various views. The individuals were explaining their ideas at one point in time and may or may not reflect what they believed later. It is important that information from these clips not be taken as specific treatment suggestions for individuals who stutter. Determination of treatment for stuttering is best done in face-to-face coordination with a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.Two of the tapes by Van Riper and Brygelson (in this section and one in the section below) presented special challenges. The tapes were defective, but when played backwards, they were fine, apparently bleeding through the other side of the tape. The sound editor suggested by Bob Quesal, (Sound Studio) allows you to reverse the sound, making a backwards copy. So the tapes were digitized backwards, and the editor reversed them into pretty good quality recordings. The tapes were part of a series called "Lectures in Speech Pathology and Audiology" and were copyrighted by Luther F. Sies, Ed.D, of the Fine Arts Recording Company, Inc. An internet search found Dr. Sies in Arizona and he gladly consented to allowing the tapes to be placed online.

	Charles Van Riper 1962, Causes, Nature and Development of Stuttering refers to the famous Birch Tree Listen (31:12)) Added February 1, 2004 with permission of Luther Sies, who produced and edited the original tape.		Fred Murray 1963 presentation to a Stuttering Methods class in Denver, CO Listen (29:45) February 1, 2004 with permission of Dr. Murray
	Charles Van Riper Presentation for the Council of Adult Stutterers, November 20, 1966 "I am a member of the clan of the Tangled Tongue," Listen (17:15) Added April 18, 2004.		Bryng Bryngelson The Current Status of the Problem of Stuttering - 1963 Listen (29:35) Read more about Bryng Bryngelson here Added May 9, 2004.
	Charles Van Riper and Joseph Green Sheehan A conversation at the annual meeting of the Council of Adult Stutterers, November 20, 1966 Listen (32:40) Added November 1, 2004		Robert Quesal Keynote speech at the 1998 NSP (now NSA) convention in Atlanta, GA. Listen (25:25) Added February 2, 2005

The audio clips below are edited versions of people talking about or demonstrating various treatment programs. Important disclaimer: The speeches are provided here for their historical significance, and reflect different views of stuttering treatment. The professionals were explaining their ideas at one point in time and may or may not reflect what they believed later. It is important that information from these clips not be taken as specific treatment suggestions for individuals who stutter. Determination of treatment for stuttering is best done in face-to-face coordination with a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.

	Donald Mowrer 1975 Listen (19:50) Added July 20, 2003 with permission of Donald Mowrer.		Dean Williams 1975 Listen (21:00) Read more about Dean Williams here Added July 20, 2003.
	Charles Van Riper 1975 interview by Anders Lundberg and Lennart Larsson from Sweden. Listen (20:35) Read more about Charles Van Riper here Added June 4, 2003.		Charles Van Riper Treatment of the Young Stutterer (date unknown) Listen (25:50) Read more about Charles Van Riper here Added February 1, 2004 with permission of Luther Sies, who produced and edited the original tape.
	Dorvan Breitenfeldt Sharing his story with Peter Reitzes on StutterTalk, 269, Mar. 27, 2011 added with permission Listen (24:00) Added February 6, 2022.		Bryng Bryngelson Speech Improvement for Stutterers, Children and Adults (1963) Listen (35:00) Read more about Bryng Bryngelson here Added May 8, 2004
	Anders Lundberg Es passieren wirklich Heldentaten in der Therapie (2015) (translated from German "My patients wrestle their demons very bravely in therapy") Lundberg trained with Charles Van Riper Listen on YouTube (71:00) Added August 26, 2015		Florence Yost 2003 interview about experience with Benjamin Bogue School of Stammering, Indianapolis, IN Listen (8:35) Added February 4, 2004.
	Frederick Murray Last Thoughts About Stuttering January 19, 2019 interview by Nathan Mayfield Listen on You Tube (35:00) Read more about Fred Murray here Added April 15, 2019

A series of historic video-taped interviews with Dr. Murray, 2015.
Executive Producer: Martine Vanryckeghem, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCFS, ASHA Fellow, Professor, University of Central Florida,
Videographer/Editor: Mike Bauer

Defining stuttering (3:24 minutes)
Founding fathers in the field of stuttering (12:03 minutes)
Dr. Lee Travis and the organic nature of stuttering (14:32 minutes)
Dr. Joseph Sheehan and some thoughts on how to stutter (6:37 minutes)
Dr. Gene Brutten and the impact of negative emotional reaction (3:33 minutes)

In the web archive, find Doug Beck's Interview with Franklin H. Silverman, Ph.D., Professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Marquette University, 9/29/2003. Topic: Dying Well - In Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Related Thoughts on the Middle East, Stuttering, The Monster Study and Brain Tumors

last modified March 9, 2022