James Leon Kallina
1946-2000
Deaf school teacher had love for fishing
by Erik Rodriguez (Austin American-Statesman Staff)
To James Leon Kallina, deafness was anything
but a disability. The Texas School for the Deaf instructor has a
passion for sports, gardening and bass fishing that spoken words could
not describe, family members said. Kallina, 53, died Friday in a motorcycle wreck on South First Street and Barron Springs Roads. "He was proud to be deaf, and yet he was very comfortable with people that could hear," Kallina's wife, Jeanne, said Saturday, " he was able to be part of both worlds and make everyone laugh and feel loved and welcome." Kallina was born in San Antonio and attended Sunshine Cottage and later, the Texas School for the Deaf. He went on to receive a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and did graduate work in deaf education at California State University of Northridge. In 1970, Kallina began teaching at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, returning to the Texas School for the Deaf as a teacher in 1978. In the 22 years since then, Kallina taught a variety of subjects at the school, including woodworking, math and job skills. "He always had a smile and a story for
everybody," said Claire Bugen, superintendent of the Texas School
for the Deaf. "He had a passion for fishing, and he would
often see if he could get some of the kids interested in his
hobby."
You may contact Erik Rodriguez at crodrigucz@statesman.com or 445-3851. |