We, at The Stuttering Foundation, mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague, Howard (Howie) D. Schwartz, PhD, CCC-SLP, who passed away on April 17, 2023, following a heart attack and ensuing complications.

Howie received his bachelor’s at SUNY-New Paltz in speech and hearing sciences. His clinical practice as a speech-language pathologist and master’s degree studies at Michigan State University preceded pursuit of a doctorate at Syracuse University under the direction of Edward G. Conture, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-F. His doctoral dissertation was the first to explore subgrouping among children who stutter (Schwartz & Conture, 1988), work he continued in a study investigating speech and nonspeech behaviors near the onset of stuttering (Schwartz, Zebrowski, & Conture, 1990).

Howie’s personal and intellectual gifts were reflected in clinical service provision, student mentoring, teaching, and publication of his text, A Primer for Stuttering Therapy (1999), unique in its inclusion of video demonstrations of his abundant skills in coaching, counseling, and individually supporting those who stutter. Former clients, and students, often became friends and sought his counsel long after Howie’s retirement.

Those of us who were master’s or doctoral students while Howie was at Syracuse University, and the many students he taught and mentored in his 20 years at Northern Illinois University, remember well his clinical acumen, compassionate mentoring, deep friendship, and incredible culinary skills (especially in partnership with his wife, Reggie). Howie’s love for and dedication to providing individualized, holistic help to those who stutter and their families, and sharing his gifts of teaching and mentoring students were also imparted at the Institute for Communicative Disorders, a private practice he established in Napierville, IL. Following his retirement from NIU, two of his former students, Theresa Lauten, M.S. Ed., M.A. CCC-SLP/L and Sarah Meyers, M.A. CCC-SLP/L, wrote this tribute to Howie. These words that still ring true.

Howie spent his retirement traveling with his wife, Reggie, visiting with his son, Jeff, and daughter, Jenny (including her wedding), deep sea and fly fishing, and keeping in touch with former students, colleagues, and the many friends he made everywhere he went. His legacy remains and will ever enrich our minds and hearts.

Schwartz, H. D. (1999). A primer for stuttering therapy. Allyn and Bacon.
Schwartz, H. D., & Conture, E. G. (1988). Subgrouping young stutterers: Preliminary behavioral observations. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research31(1), 62-71.
Schwartz, H. D., Zebrowski, P. M., & Conture, E. G. (1990). Behaviors at the onset of stuttering. Journal of Fluency Disorders15(2), 77-86.

Posted April 26, 2023