Dr. Michael Ludwig, physician and Callier Center for Communication Disorders leader

Dr. Ludwig A. Michael is a physician and long-time supporter and leader of the Callier Center.

Dr. Ludwig A. Michael, a beloved physician and Callier Center for Communication Disorders leader, has been honored with a directorship that bears his name and will support Callier research.

The permanent endowment, which will create the Ludwig A. Michael, MD, Callier Center Executive Directorship, pays tribute to Michael for his outstanding service as a trustee and as former president of the Foundation for the Callier Center. The directorship, which marks an important step for Callier, was established through an initial gift of $200,000 from the Communities Foundation of Texas.

With this focused support, current and future leaders of the Callier Center may continue their own research programs and take advantage of opportunities to advance the center. To increase the impact of this gift, Callier has set a goal of raising $300,000 to provide additional support for the director’s research. The initial gift, and any gifts toward this initiative, count toward Callier’s $8 million campaign goal as part of the University’s Realize the Vision: The Campaign for Tier One & Beyond.  The five-year effort aims to raise $200 million by 2014. More than $3.4 million has already been raised for Callier.

“To be able to honor Ludwig Michael with this directorship is most fitting. He was there at the creation of Callier and has been a continuing source of support and wisdom throughout its history.”

Dr. Bert Moore,
dean of the
School of Behavioral
and Brain Sciences

The first holder of the directorship will be Dr. Thomas Campbell, executive director of the Callier Center and a professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The endowment will help support his research on the physiological, environmental and genetic variables for the early identification of speech and language disorders in children.

“The endowing of this position has been a longtime goal of the University and is an important step in Callier’s continued tradition of excellence,” said Dr. Bert Moore, dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and the Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor. “To be able to honor Ludwig Michael with this directorship is most fitting. He was there at the creation of Callier and has been a continuing source of support and wisdom throughout its history.”

His wife, Carmen Michael, couldn’t agree more. “When Dean Moore called me about the Callier Center’s wish to establish the directorship in honor of Ludwig, I was very much pleased and wanted to help support it.”

Michael, a prominent Dallas otolaryngologist, played a pivotal role in the Callier Center’s early years. He received a bachelor of arts and a medical degree from New York University and completed otolaryngology work at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He came to Dallas in 1948 after serving at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he worked with soldiers who had suffered hearing loss. Michael joined the staff of Baylor Medical Center, where he was named chief of otolaryngology in 1964 and again in 1975. He also served on the clinical faculty of UT Southwestern Medical Center.

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“This gift is vital to the future of the Callier Center and the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences,” Campbell said. “It is another example of the enormous generosity by the Michaels and other donors to the directorship in support of our University. I am deeply honored to have my name associated with the legacy of such an extraordinary man who continues to give so much.”

For information on Callier or the campaign, visit the center's website or contact Shanon Patrick at 214-905-3084.