Joseph Laine

The Joseph B. Laine Outstanding Senior in Speech Communication Award is given in honor of Professor Joseph B. Laine in recognition of his 26 year commitment to UW Oshkosh as Chairman of the Speech Department.

Dr. Laine was a long-serving and dedicated faculty member in the UW Oshkosh Department of Communication until his retirement in 1989. As the number and variety of communication degrees grew under his tenure as Speech Department chair in the 1960’s and 1970’s, so did the services provided through special hearing clinics within the department ’ clinics that annually served hundreds of Wisconsin residents, including referrals from physicians, as well as UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. He also served as a president of the Wisconsin Speech Communication Association.

Before joining UW Oshkosh in 1962, Dr. Laine was an instructor at the University of South Dakota and instructor and debate coach at Marquette University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Yankton College in 1949, his master’s degree from the University of South Dakota, and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1958. Dr. Laine passed away in January 2013.