Aspire - Indiana University South Bend

Bill Gering
leaves speech legacy
By Naomi Keeler // Photography provided
Retired IU South Bend speech
professor William “Bill” Gering passed
away on February 8, 2012, in South
Bend. Arriving on campus in 1965,
Gering was IU South Bend’s first fulltime
speech professor and over the
next 25 years crafted many of the
elements of today’s speech program,
including the long-running Speech
Night competitions. He and his wife
also established the William L. and
Lucille E. Gering Scholarship for
students in communication studies.
He valued the rhetoric of public
speaking origins, reflected in his
belief and admiration of the classic
Greek scholars, such as Cicero. Gering
strongly believed in preserving and
passing on the importance and value
of the Greek classics to students and
showing how they are still relevant
to today’s world. Wanting students
to experience Greek theatre “as a
Greek,” he invited his friend Peter
Arnott, who made Greek marionettes,
to present classic Greek plays to
students in Recital Hall.
Adjunct instructor Craig Hosterman,
who worked with Gering in the late
1970s, recalls “He was born to be
a teacher but reached out to his
students beyond the role of educator.
He was a mentor of sorts … to me
and students. He encouraged people
to learn about listening, which pushed
the envelope in our field at the time.
His approach to public speaking was
to touch the situation the way the
masters would.”
Among Gering’s many achievements
was the creation of Speech Night, a
traditional event at IU South Bend.
April marked the 30th anniversary for
the long-time public speaking event.
Considered the hallmark of the required
public speaking course, students
nominate speakers from each class
section to compete in a persuasive
speaking contest held in Recital Hall.
“Taking the essence of the speech
from the classroom to a 250-seat
auditorium gave students a public
speaking experience they likely had not
had before,” says Senior Lecturer in
Communication Arts Kevin Gillen.
In 1995, Gering and his wife Lucille
established the William M. and Lucille
R. Gering Scholarship. The scholarship
was created to continue Gering’s legacy
as an educator, which emphasized
classroom learning and academic
extracurricular activities. Their wish was
to provide students with the opportunity
to have speech as a basic subject, while
also furthering the university’s mission,
and encouraging others to donate to
Indiana University.
Gering’s education began in a oneroom
country school in South Dakota.
He earned a B.A. from Bethel
College in North Newton, Kan. and
a Ph.D. in Speech Communication
from Indiana University. He was a
member of the Speech Association of
America, the American Association of
Parliamentarians, and the International
Listening Association.
He retired from teaching in 1989.
He enjoyed collecting primitive and
antique tools to educate and share with
fourth grade students in Mishawaka
public schools. Gering also found great
satisfaction in restoring old furniture,
reveling in discussing the furniture’s
origins the most. He is survived by his
wife of 55 years, Lucille, and their
two children, daughter Caroline and
son Jeffrey.