sad news - Elena Pizzuto (CNR Rome)

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
January 14, 2011

Dear SW List members, and Shane -

Thank you, Shane, for informing us about Elena Pizzuto, whom I truly loved to communicate with, and I feel so completely shocked and saddened by this news. Elena was so kind to all of us and was so enthusiastic about her research on deafness issues, and one of those issues was SignWriting. I will never forget my first telephone call from Elena, all the way on the other side of the globe...I live in San Diego, California, and Elena was in Rome...and we talked and talked about so many important topics. The result of this collaboration was so fruitful. Elena's research lab wrote several papers with other Italian Deaf researchers on the use of SignWriting, and they used a private SignPuddle server at their lab. I will try to find all of our papers that we shared together and will build a web page in memory if I can...

Here is our current web area:

SignWriting In Italy
http://www.signwriting.org/italy/italy001.html

I am saddened to see that their lab site is no longer on the web...

If there is anyone here on the SignWriting List who knew Elena personally, I hope you will write a message to us about her work, and I hope her work will continue with her students and co-workers? Please tell us more news if you can....

Val ;-)


Italian Newspaper article (see English translation below)
Con enorme dolore accogliamo la notizia della scomparsa di Elena Antinoro Pizzuto e ci stringiamo con enorme affetto intorno al marito, alla famiglia, al gruppo di ricerca dell’Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie del CNR di Roma, ai tanti amici. È estremamente difficile dire qualcosa in questi momenti, quando proviamo solo il vuoto della tragedia, il senso di impotenza, lo stupore per un male incurabile che così repentinamente ci ha portato via una delle ricercatrici e studiose più appassionate, infaticabili, vulcaniche del linguaggio, del mondo della sordità e della lingua dei segni che l’Italia, e il mondo intero, abbia mai avuto.

Una donna straordinaria, fuori dagli schemi, sempre curiosa e animata da vero amore per il proprio lavoro e per le persone – sorde e udenti - con cui ha condiviso negli anni un appassionato viaggio di scoperta umana e scientifica.

Ora proviamo solo lo sgomento di un viaggio interrotto troppo presto e delle tante cose che avremmo ancora voluto fare insieme. Ciao Elena.

I funerali si svolgeranno domani sabato 15 gennaio 2011 alle ore 11.00 a Roma, presso la Chiesa della Natività di Gesù, in Via Gallia 162.

L’ENS, la Comunità dei Sordi Italiani, i tanti amici

------


Italian to English translation
With great sorrow we announce the passing of Elena Pizzuto Antinoro and we embrace with great affection her husband, the family, the research team Institute of Science and Technology, CNR, Rome, to the many friends. It is extremely difficult to say anything at this time, only when we feel the void of the tragedy, the sense of powerlessness and amazement for an incurable disease that has so suddenly taken away one of the most passionate researchers and scholars, tireless, volcanic language, world of deafness and sign language that Italy, and the world, has ever had.

An extraordinary woman, outside the box, always curious and motivated by genuine love for her work and for people - deaf and hearing - with whom she shared over the years a passionate journey of discovery and human science.

Now a journey interrupted too early and there are so many things we still wanted to do together. Ciao Elena.

The funeral takes place tomorrow, Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 11:00 am in Rome at the Church of the Nativity of Jesus in Via Gallia 162.

The ENS, the Community of the Deaf Italians, many friends






On Jan 14, 2011, at 6:28 PM, Shane K. Gilchrist wrote:

> Everyone,
> 
> I am very sorry to tell you that Dr Elena Pizzuto have passed away last night.
> 
> Announcement about her funeral (today) from ENS (Italian Deaf
> Association) in Italian:
> 
> http://www.ens.it/articolo.asp?ID=3837
> 
> There are some videos of deaf Italians paying respect to Elena,
> talking about how wonderful she was in the deaf community, encouraging
> them to accept that LIS is a real language and all that and how
> positive she was - and that her presence is much missed:
> 
> http://www.vlog-sordi.com/2011/01/un-ricordo-di-elena-pizzuto.html
> 
> Some of you may want to check out her home page at:
> 
> http://www.istc.cnr.it/createhtml.php?nbr=41
> 
> Shane
> 



--------


Val ;-)

Valerie Sutton
SignWriting List moderator
sutton at signwriting.org

Post Messages to the SignWriting List:
sw-l at listserv.valenciacc.edu

SignWriting List Archives & Home Page
http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist

Join, Leave or Change How You Receive SW List Messages
http://listserv.valenciacc.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SW-L&A=1