Grade School, High School

There were two reasons for the move to North Carolina. I loved my “farm” in Starkville, and I was offered the job of Assistant Professor after completing my PhD. But after getting the offer from NC State, and understanding the advantages for Aileen for both her GSD and hearing impairment, once again I decided that she was more important  and the family needed to move. My life in North Carolina will be discussed elsewhere, this section is about Aileen.   In terms of her deafness, she was mainstreamed in the NC public school system, and later, after 5 years in Sri Lanka, the NC University system, which resulted in her being in the top perhaps 1% of the profoundly deaf in terms of her academic achievements and ability in both the hearing and deaf worlds. Unlike most profoundly deaf, she is effective in both the hearing and deaf worlds. The extent of this accomplishment cannot be overestimated. It results from Aileen’s strength of character, and the unity of her parents and their ability to give her everything she needed. In terms of her home life during the 4 years in North Carolina (82-86), the first years in Cary were difficult, with frequent hypoglycaemic episodes, some very serious. Then with the corn starch, and puberty, the severity diminished and became manageable. In 1986 we arrived at the point where, after leaving Abidjan 6 years earlier, we were ready to return to the pioneering field. That was the last time I was in the US and when Aileen returned to North Carolina, her parents were divorced. When we left for Sri Lanka, all seemed well.