Lowell Judson Farmer, Jr., a Jackson resident since 1972, retired professor emeritus of speech pathology, died at the University Medical Center on Friday, October 23, 2009, of complications related to his lifelong disability. Mr. Farmer was a former member of the Board of Directors for the P & A.  He served on the board for several years. 

Mr. Farmer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from Ogden High in 1951, attended Weber College and obtained a degree in Speech from Westminster College in Salt Lake City in 1956.  He received a Masters Degree in Speech Pathology from the University of Utah in 1959.  He worked at the University of Texas Medical Center from 1959 to 1963.  He then moved to the University of Virginia where he did advanced graduate work in Speech Pathology at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center until 1972. While in Virginia, he was twice named Outstanding Faculty Member at U. Va. and designed a Speech and Hearing Clinic at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, which was named for him.

Mr. Farmer moved to Jackson to direct the Speech Pathology Section of the Communicative Disorders Laboratory until his retirement in 1993, after which he stayed active as a consultant to UMC.  He was well known throughout the state as an expert in voice pathology, neurological disorders of speech, and stuttering.  He was a member of many professional societies, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Cranio-Facial Association, Southern Audiological Mathematics Society, American Physical Society, and the National Association of Parliamentarian, and served as the NAP State Director for 15 years.  He was the originator of an Annual Conference on Communicative Disorders and the Godfrey Arnold Lecture.  He was accorded Honors of the Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1992.  He was for many years, Program Coordinator of the Central Mississippi Speech and Hearing Association. 

He was married to Patricia J. Williams of Evanston, Wyoming in 1959.  She passed away in 1998.  A brother, James D. Farmer of Concord, CA, died in 1999.  He is survived by a son, Lowell Judson Farmer, III, of Vero Beach, FL; a daughter, Jennifer Ellen Sherlock of Colorado Springs, CO, and four grandchildren.  He was a member of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton.  He was an Anatomical Gift to UMC, so there will be no funeral.  If desired, donations may be made to Holy Resurrection Church or to Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah.  

The staff of DRMS would like to extend our thoughts and thanks to the family of Mr. Farmer.  His service to the agency was greatly appreciated and his knowledge and dedication to creating fewer barriers for individuals with disabilities will be missed.