Dr. Robert F. Panara: About Panara

This section lists works about Panara. The photo below is courtesy of Deaf Studies, Culture & History Archives.   Robert Panara and students during drama club rehearsing for 'Taming of the Shrew,' 1974

Bohlman, L (1993, Winter/Spring). Robert Panara: A major league teacher.  NTID Focus,14-15.
Though separated by 150 years, Robert Panara's educational adventure at RIT parallels Laurent Clerc's at the American School for the Deaf. Although Clerc, Panara modestly concedes, was more pioneering because he was the first deaf teacher at the first educational program for deaf students in the United States, Panara is a pioneer in his own right. In 1967, Panara achieved his initial first at RIT, where he became the first deaf faculty member at the institute, which prepared to open its doors to deaf students.

Cohn, J. (1986). The New Deaf Poetics: Visible Poetry. Sign Language Studies 52, 263-277.

Conley, W. (2006, Summer). With enthusiasm—all things great, The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 13(3),  453,

Cox, J. (1969, October). Focus on people: Robert Panara. NTID Focus Magazine, 3. 
On His Deafness is but one example of the many written works of Robert F. Panara, a man whose poetry,  prose, and dramatic adaptations have reached many assorted audiences over many years.

Dramatics. (1977, Summer/Fall). NTID Focus Magazine, 13.
Following a leisurely dinner party, the Seventh Annual Masquers' Awards Night shifted into high gear with the awards presentation, an entertaining talk from the master of ceremonies, Robert Panara, and the announcement of next year's theatre season. The highlight of the evening was a special performance by Betty Bonni and Charles (Charlie) Jones of the National Theatre of the Deaf

Edstrom, E. (1957, November 16). Lip readers by telescope recorded chats by Queen at terp grid game. Washington Post.  
When she visited, Robert Panara lipread Queen Elizabeth and conveyed what he understood to the reporter.

First deaf professor, proud pioneer of NTID's beginnings on campus. (1993, September 16). Rochester Institute of Technology. News & Events, 25(4), 3.

How the queen saw an odd new game­­ and what she said. (1957, October 28). Life, 43(18), 30.  
Panara used binoculars to lipread the Queen.

Krentz, C. (2001). Review of the book Sign Mind: Studies in American Sign Language Poetics. Sign Language Studies 1(3), 316-323. 

Levitan, L. & Moore, M.S.(1988, September). A tribute to Dr. Robert Panara. Deaf Life, 1(3), 14­-21.

McGrain, V. (2014). In memoriam: Robert F. Panara. American Annals of the Deaf, 159(4), 13–14.

Outstanding teacher. (1975, July­August). Deaf American, 27(11), 34.
Was awarded a grant to teach at CSUN as a visiting professor. 

Shrew expertly tamed in new EET. (1975, February/March). NTID Focus Magazine, 18-19.
Petruchio has tamed Katherine the Shrew on many stages in many theatres all over the world. He did it again in outstanding style in NTID's new Experimental Educational Theatre (EET). The Taming of the Shrew was the first production in the new EET and was part of the NTID Dedication. "We look to the theatre as an important way of encouraging hearing and deaf students to interact," Dr. William E. Castle, dean of NTID, told the opening night audience. "And in the future, we see the theatre offering us many nights of pleasure." The thought and effort that went on behind the scenes were evident in the opening night performance. More than 40 students in the Drama Club cut short their summer vacation to begin rehearsals of the play. Sixteen deaf actors and three hearing actors/readers worked on the script, carefully translated into sign language by EET Professor Robert Panara. Some students formed the technical crew and had their first real experience in set construction; others expertly cut and sewed costumes. EET Technical Director and Designer P. Gibson Ralph designed the set and the costumes.

Trainees start films captioning at Gallaudet. (1960, January). Silent Worker, 12(5), p.32.

A tribute to an 'American Scholar'. (1975, April/May). NTID Focus, 9.
Do you remember a little girl named Helen Keller and the strife she encountered because of her inability to communicate? You may recall John Singer, a character in Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. John was a deafmute whose only outlet for self-expression was communicating with a developmentally delayed deafmute. The story of these individuals reflects man's need for companionship and communication. These two characters share a kinship because they were alienated from society due to their disability. Professor Robert Panara, a deaf professor of English and drama at NTID's Experimental Educational Theatre (EET), has completed ten years of research in the field of deaf characters in literature.

Williams, L. (1981, Summer). In search of deaf celebrities. NTID Focus,, 10-13