VSU's Ruth Stonestreet Recognized as Leader in Speech, Language,Hearing Field

VALDOSTA -- The Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Dr. Robert A. Hull Leadership Award recognizes leadership within the field of speech, language, and hearing. The award has been presented annually since 2010 to an individual making an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Dr. Ruth H. Stonestreet, a professor in Valdosta State University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist, was recently named the 2012 recipient of this honor.

“To receive this honor was particularly meaningful since I had worked with Dr. Hull as a colleague in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at VSU,” Stonestreet said. “His dedication and leadership in the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association was exemplary. For my fellow association members and colleagues to select me for leadership qualities and specific contributions to the association was indeed a surprise and a compliment that I will cherish.”

Dr. Robert A. Hull Jr. died suddenly in April 2009, one day after returning from the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual convention where he was awarded the Honors of the Association in recognition of his outstanding performance in clinical service, academic teaching, service to the association, and service to local, regional, and national organizations. He developed many of the courses taught at VSU in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. He was a professor, an advisor, a clinical supervisor, and more to faculty, students, and the community.

“Many students in the program at VSU benefitted from his knowledge of the field, curriculum, and advising abilities,” said Stonestreet, who served as president of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2009 and received the Honors of the Association in 2010.

Stonestreet earned a master’s degree in speech pathology in 1971 from Mississippi University for Women. She went on to earn a doctorate degree in communication disorders from Southern Illinois University in 1986.

After working in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Michigan, Stonestreet joined the VSU family in 1995. Although she officially retired on Jan. 1, she continues to teach two graduate-level classes on a part-time basis. She also provides services in the area of speech language pathology, focusing on children 5 years of age and younger with various communication disorders. She has been published more than a dozen times and has made hundreds of presentations on the local, state, regional, and national level. She has written and secured grant funds for various special programs and professional development opportunities, serves on the Advisory Board for Easter Seals of Southern Georgia’s Meagan’s House, and is active in the Valdosta-Lowndes County community as a member of the Colonel Ebenezer Folsom Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and First Presbyterian Church.

In January 2011, Stonestreet was appointed to a three-year term on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Financial Planning Board. She is also one of three VSU professors leading a joint research initiative in Mexico to collect data on Hispanic children with autism.

“Working in the field of communication sciences and disorders has been the best career choice for me,” she said. “Being active in state and national associations continues to be an integral piece of the profession because of the changes that are occurring in the field. I am constantly surprised by the recognitions and appreciate the support and confidence that has been bestowed upon me during my career.”

The Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association is a professional association of individuals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human communication disorders that advocates for the professional interest of its members and the individuals they serve and provides a forum for the exchange of professional information and ideas.

For more information, please contact Ruth H. Stonestreet at (229) 219-1313 or rstonest@valdosta.edu.