50 Years of Service in Speech-Language Pathology

Carol Yetter

Carol Yetter, BS ‘65 Speech, comes from a legacy of Ducks; her great-grandfather graduated in the first four-year class, and both her late husband and her children attended the University of Oregon. Since she graduated, she has paid that legacy forward in philanthropic support and volunteer service at the College of Education and the UO, from serving on the UO Alumni Association Board, and the COE Alumni Association, Dean’s Council, and Advisory Council between 1989 and 2017, to hemming forty-two pairs of pants for the marching band in preparation for the 2021 football season.  

Carol graduated from what was then the Speech and Hearing Program in the College of Liberal Arts, before the Communication Disorders and Sciences (CDS) Program existed at the College of Education. Two professors Kenneth Scott Wood, PhD and Ned Christiansen, PhD, became her mentors and later joined the new CDS program when it opened at the COE. Carol said of her mentors, “Both Dr. Wood and Dr. Christiansen were exceptionally supportive and were rigorous in their expectations.”  

 After graduating, she became a speech-language clinician for the Salem-Keizer school district while pursuing her master’s degree but was unable to complete the audiology practicum requirements until several years later. Her pursuit of the degree was paused when she and her husband moved to central Oregon and she chose to stay home and raise their children. During this time, Carol completed coursework for her Clinical Certification in Audiology, and then worked as a clinical and educational audiologist. She moved back to Western Oregon and joined the faculty at Western Oregon State College (now Western Oregon University).  After successfully guiding students through their final year of the Communication Disorders program, Carol continued as an adjunct assistant professor for the next 30 years while also employed as a speech-language pathologist and pediatric/educational audiologist. 

Carol earned Certificates of Clinical Competency in both Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, which was an exceptional accomplishment, as most clinicians typically obtained only one certificate. Carol retired in 2019 after over 50 years in the speech and hearing field, including work in private and public medical centers, clinics, school districts, Indian health services, and as a Communication Disorders professor.  

Carol looks back at her career in speech and hearing with pride in her accomplishments and gratitude for the opportunities she was given to help others.  

“I’m proud of achieving dual certification, but I’m also proud, circumstances being what they were, of having a varied career in audiology and in speech-language pathology.”  

 “My proudest moments in audiology had to do with the evaluation of hearing in children. It is exceptionally fulfilling to fit an infant or young child with proper amplification, to see their eyes light up when hearing for the first time. It was also satisfying to have played a role in ruling out hearing loss for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum.”  

“Early in my career in audiology, before acceptance of the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, it was difficult to convince physicians that certain behaviors were unrelated to hearing but directly related to processing disorders.”

“Often, a child with hearing loss in only one ear is difficult to evaluate. Confirming that child’s hearing loss within only one ear, and then properly fitting that child with amplification was very fulfilling, and the parents were thrilled.”  

Watching the field of audiology continue to evolve is important to Carol who is excited for the opening of the Marjorie Mitchell Audiology Lab at HEDCO Clinic this month.  

Now a few years into her retirement, Carol enjoys volunteering, reading, and sewing. A life member of the UO Alumni Association for over 30 years, Carol’s time is filled with many activities centered around campus. From football and basketball season tickets to work as a senior ambassador for both the UO Marching Band and the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, Carol embodies what it means to truly be a life-long Duck.   

More about Carol Yetter: 

Completing the circle: from receiving as a student to leaving a legacy for others

 Why I give to the UO by Carol Johnson Yetter