Remembering John J. O’Neill

JOHN O’NEILL

John O'Neill, Former SHS Head

John J. O’Neill, former Head of the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois, former President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and a World II veteran, passed away at Urbana, Illinois, June 29, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy J. O’Neill, four children, and four grandchildren.

O’Neill attended elementary and high schools in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. During World War II he served in the Army with the 83rd Infantry Division, landing in Omaha Beach. His unit continued across Europe, reaching the outskirts of Berlin at the end of the war, and was credited with liberating 21,000 prisoners at Langenstein, a sub-camp of the Buchenwald complex. He received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Jubilee of Liberty medal, given by France to the veterans of the Normandy campaign.

After the war, O’Neill attended The Ohio State University, where he received a B.S. in Education (1947) and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Speech Science (1951). In 1953-54, he spent two summers at the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine, conducting research. He served on the faculty at The Ohio State University until 1959 and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the OSU Department of Speech in 1969.

O’Neill joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1959 as Chair of the Division of Speech and Hearing Science, then part of the Department of Speech Communication. He played a major role in transforming the Division into an independent Department of Speech and Hearing Science, serving as the first Head from 1973 to 1979, guiding it to become a nationally-ranked program. He also took leadership for the approval of, and secured funds for, the modern Speech and Hearing Science Building which opened in 1977.

Professor O’Neill was a renowned rehabilitative audiologist and clinical psychologist. He authored or co-authored four textbooks and wrote over 80 articles and technical reports that appeared in scientific and professional journals. He was always involved in scientific-professional organizations of his field of study. He served on many boards and committees of the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association, was elected as its President in 1969, and was awarded the Honors of the Association in 1979. O’Neill was a co-founder and President of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, and was a charter member of the Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

O’Neill was an avid Illini sports fan and was passionate about his model railroad. He retired in 1991 but stayed involved as a Professor Emeritus of Speech & Hearing Science until his death at the age of 88.

The family will hold a private memorial. Those wishing to make memorial gifts may direct them to the UIF/John J. O’Neill Lecture Fund at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and mail to: University of Illinois Foundation, 1305 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801-2962.