The Second John J. Conley Lecture

Abstract

Editor's Note: This lecture by Mark Medoff was delivered at the opening ceremony of the 1987 Annual Meeting of the AAO-HNS in Chicago. The frank expression of deep and personal feelings that relate to the living experience of this sensitive author are not commonly disclosed in a scientific journal, but their penetration into the consciousness of his audience goes beyond the revelations that were so real for him. Our link with the playwright is intimated in his Academy Presidential Citation “for fostering understanding and insight into the problems of the deaf, by those possessing hearing, through his play, Children of a Lesser God.” We are exposed to a variety of degrees of wonderment, shadowed memories, escaped uneasiness, and a desire to break away. And then, at the end, Mr. Medoff defiantly proclaims, “This is the way to the stars.” There is no argument against psychological dynamism, idealism, and triumphant Survival.