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By Kent Larsen
LDS Parenting & Special Education Expert Glenn Latham Dead at 70
NORTH LOGAN, UTAH -- Utah State University Professor Emeritus Glenn
I. Latham died suddenly July 10th. Latham is best known for his
parenting workshops and for his books, "The Power of Positive
Parenting" and "What's a parent to do?" But professionally he was
also widely known for his work with the disabled, including founding
the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center at USU. Latham was 70.
Glenn Irven Latham was born June 30, 1931 in Rockdale, North Dakota.
But early in his life his family moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he
joined the LDS Church in 1949. After serving an LDS mission to
Arizona and New Mexico, he toyed with becoming a professional golfer
before leaving Eugene in 1953 for Salt Lake City. There he married
Louise Andrus McDonald in the Salt Lake Temple in June 1955.
Latham settled in Salt Lake City where he attended the University of
Utah, earning a BS in Elementary Education in 1960 and an MS in
Special Education in 1965. But during that time he was also active as
one of the first special education teachers in Utah. He founded the
Columbus Community Center in Salt Lake City, which is still
considered one of the finest disability programs in Utah. He also
started teaching at the University of Utah.
But Latham eventually gave up his positions in Salt Lake City and
moved to Logan to finish his Ph.D. in Special Education at Utah
State. With that degree, granted in 1971, He found a position back in
Oregon, teaching at the University of Oregon and working as an
Evaluation and Research Specialist at the Northwest Regional Special
Education Instructional Materials Center.
In 1974, Dr. Latham was hired away by Utah State University's Center
for Persons with Disabilities (CPD), and there his career blossomed.
Hired as Director of the Division of Research and Evaluation at CPD's
Exceptional Child Center, Latham also started a cooperative extension
program for persons with disabilities.
By 1980, Dr. Latham had become Director of the Division of Technical
Assistance, Developmental Center for Handicapped Persons at USU, a
position he held until he retired in 1995. That same year (1980) he
wrote a proposal for the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center,
which has since become the largest and longest-running federal grant
at USU's Center for Persons with Disabilities. The center provides
technical assistance for educating students with disabilities in 10
western states and to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Supporting that center, Dr. Latham also became active in national
disability issues, working with Utah's Senator Orrin Hatch to ensure
funding by the US Congress for disability programs. Marv Fifield of
USU's Center for Persons with Disabilities says many in the field
credit Dr. Latham's work for making the needs of the disabled known
in Congress.
"Glenn was nationally recognized by colleagues in state agencies,
Regional Resource Centers, the Office of Special Education Programs,
and among legislators as 'Mr. Regional Resource Center' because of
his hard work, his vision, and his leadership," says Fifield. "One
cannot travel anywhere in special education circles, particularly at
the administrative level of the state and national organizations,
without hearing colleagues extol and give recognition to Dr. Latham's
hard work, his effectiveness, and his leadership."
After retiring in 1995, Dr. Latham continued working with the
Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center, but also started writing
parenting books and giving seminars on parenting. In addition to "The
Power of Positive Parenting" and "What's a parent to do?", Dr. Latham
wrote "Christlike parenting" and "Parenting with love." In 1998 he
gave a series of 147 seminars nationally and internationally on
parenting. His ideas are also presented in the audio cassette, "The
Making of a Stable Family."
Fifield says that Dr. Latham's books and seminars made a difference
in the lives of thousands, "During the last few years, he maintained
an almost impossible schedule of writing, researching, lecturing and
conducting workshops. Few people will miss Glenn's professional
expertise more than the thousands of parents who have benefitted from
the workshops, presentations, lectures, and his many publications.
Dr. Latham was a remarkable man," continued Fifield, "not only for
what he accomplished and contributed but also for the kind,
considerate, and quiet way he was able to work with others. He made
each of us feel valued and important. Glenn will always be remembered
not only for what he did, but how he did it and the high standard of
professional performance, dedication, and commitment that he set for
all of us."
With the rise of the Internet in recent years, Dr. Latham also turned
his attention to reaching parents online. His Latham Institute for
Families and Educators established the "Parenting Prescriptions"
website, which makes available Dr. Latham's ideas and teachings to
the public. He also actively gave advice on line, moderating the
LDS-oriented e-mail list FamilyWOW and starting its sister list,
TeachingWOW.
W. Denis Nurmela, owner of the DailyWOW group of lists (which
includes FamilyWOW and TeachingWOW) says that Dr. Latham was supposed
to just send out a weekly thought about families on Family WOW, but
it soon went beyond that, "When someone would write him an e-mail
about a particular problem they were having with a child, instead of
just trying to gear an answer to the list the next week, he would
often times write back a lengthy e-mail to them and even call them on
the phone if they had left their phone numbers.
It was also not uncommon for him to take 30 minutes to an hour to sit
in his office and prepare an audio tape just for their specific
problems and send it off to them. He truly was a big asset to the
DailyWOW family of volunteers, however, he will be missed by
thousands of people around the world."
Sources:
Death notices (Latham)
Logan UT Herald Journal 13Jul01 P2
Obituaries: Glenn Latham
Eugene OR Register-Guard 15Jul01 P2
Glenn Irven Latham
Salt Lake Tribune 16Jul01 P2
Glenn Irven Latham
Logan UT Herald Journal 17Jul01 P2
In Memory of Glenn Irven Latham
Dr. Glenn I. Latham
C.P.D. Staff: Latham, Glenn
See also:
Parenting Prescriptions
Books By Glenn Latham:
More about "The Power of Positive Parenting: A Wonderful Way to Raise Children" by Glenn I. Latham at Amazon.com
More about "Christlike Parenting: Taking the Pain Out of Parenting" by Glenn I. Latham at Amazon.com
More about "The Making of a Stable Family" by Glenn I. Latham at Amazon.com
"Parenting With Love: Making A Difference In A Day" by Glenn I. Latham
"What's a Parent to Do?: Solving Family Problems in a Christlike Way" by Glenn I. Latham
"Parenting Prescriptions" Audiocassettes by Glenn I. Latham
"An Angel Out of Tune" CD by Glenn I. Latham
"Keys to Classroom Management" by Glenn I. Latham
"Behind the Schoolhouse Door: Eight Skills Every Teacher Should Have" by Glenn I. Latham
"Management not Discipline" by Glenn I. Latham
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