The Harold “Sonny” Utt Memorial Scholarship

For his years of devotion to the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Help support a scholarship in Dr. Utt’s name.

Dr. Harold “Sonny” Utt was an assistant professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and had a life-long career as an audiologist. He taught future SLPs and audiologists for 35 years at UCF at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Utt loved to teach and did so with compassion and a genuine interest in seeing his students succeed at achieving their goals.

Dr. Utt passed on April 12, 2021.

His passion lives on through his impact on both students and colleagues. This memorial scholarship helps ensure that future generations of students continue to be impacted by his compassion and kindness.

In August of 1981, Dr. Harold “Sonny” Utt wound his way through the dirt-sand campus roads to seek out his office and begin a 35-year teaching career at UCF. He was certified in Audiology by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and was positioned to teach both graduate and undergraduate coursework in audiology and speech pathology. Dr. Utt later became a tenured Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders, which, around the time of his retirement, became the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), a designation he had been calling for all the years I knew him. His passion at UCF was teaching, and that he did with extraordinary talent and knowledge, dedication, compassion, and selflessness. But by far, from what I observed in him early on, his absolute devotion was to his family—Monica, his wife, and his twins Mary and Dominic—which transcended all the other life experiences he wished to live.

In 2002 I came aboard, migrating from the tundra of the University of Maine to teach with him at the Cocoa regional campus, part of the 2+2, “We’re in your neighborhood” UCF initiative to spread its wings. He and I were charged to offer a full undergraduate curriculum at the Cocoa campus (in a UCF building on the Brevard Community College campus), intended to offer convenience to Brevard County and BCC students. As can be imagined, we were close colleagues who got to know each other very well, and who got to know our relatively small cohorts of students even better. And, of course, we were thrown into a fairly competitive teaching situation, as Sonny liked sport and I liked trying to beat him. It was a friendly battle that was always fun and very funny. It was mostly based upon students rating us on a Likert scale and the conferring of our imaginary medal of adoration and excellence. I think it was Sonny who typically prevailed on the adoration criterion (if not excellence). I’m loath to admit it.

Sonny possessed both a learned and spontaneous sense of humor, much of it coming from his father (a wonderfully kind man given to earthy language), his time in the Marines, and an innate, sharp wit. When my father went to his office in Cocoa Beach for hearing assessments, the Dads totally bonded (his father worked for Sonny at the front desk, uncompensated of course), as did my dad with Sonny. When they discovered they were both practicing Catholics, Sonny advised, outside of the audiological concern, “Mike, when you go to confession, always bring your attorney.” Old joke.

I am greatly saddened by Sonny’s passing; we had differences, some spirited, but we sincerely valued each other. Moreover, Sonny was deeply appreciated by his students, as they invariably came out of his classes feeling well cared for, knowledgeable, chuckling a bit, and knowing that they had just obtained the very best UCF had to offer. Sonny and I were quite proud of what we were able to accomplish on the regional campus, but his students, at his design, had a very special affinity for him. He was cherished; ask one and they’ll immediately recall how he’d begin each week with a booming “Monday, Monday, Monday!”, and open each course with, “I think you’ll find that I’m firm but fair.” He consistently pushed them to give and give more, but he did it with a love so transparent that they gave 100%, not wanting to disappoint. He was an outstanding advocate for high quality learning, and a person who will be remembered by all as having lived a life based upon a foundation of strong values, high expectations, and a passion for enabling the aspirations of others. He was a very special man.

Dr. Utt would appreciate my final thought: I know that you’re with him/her, Sonny, but I’m aware with some certainty that the Good Lord has assembled a committee of experts trying to figure out what in heaven’s name they should do with you.

In honor of my dear long-time colleague and friend.
Joe DiNapoli