ROGOVIN, Anne 1918-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born August 4, 1918, in Buffalo, NY; died of brain cancer July 7, 2003, in Buffalo, NY. Educator and author. Rogovin was a teacher of mentally handicapped children who also wrote books on child rearing. Attending the New York State College for Teachers (now Buffalo State College of the State University of New York), she earned a B.A. there in 1940. However, when she refused to sign a loyalty oath for the Buffalo public school system, no one would hire her there as a teacher. She consequently found employment at the city's Board of Cooperative Educational Services and began teaching mentally impaired students. She went on to earn her master's degree in special education from her alma mater in 1963. Through her work with special-needs children she developed the philosophy that youngsters learn best by doing things for themselves; this led to her development of "learning boards" containing activities that stimulate a child's senses of touch, smell, and sight. Rogovin's learning boards were later included in two exhibitions at the Buffalo Gallery: "Learning by Doing" (1971) and "Please Do Touch" (1977). Rogovin, who as a social activist marched in numerous peace rallies and was blacklisted for supporting accused communist spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, also conducted workshops for parents on child rearing. Her books include Learning by Doing: An Illustrated Handbook for Parents and Teachers of Children Who Learn Slowly (1971; second edition, 1977), Let Me Do It! (1980), 1,001 Wonderful Wonders: Activities for All Children (1992), and Turn off the TV and… (1995). In 1993 she was named Buffalo News Citizen of the Year, and in 2003 was given the Distinguished Alumna Award by Buffalo State College.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Buffalo News, July 8, 2003, p. C6. New York Times, July 20, 2003, p. A25.