Deaths.

James C. Hudson, director of the Division of Services for the Blind, Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, died on November 24, 2007. After earning a bachelor's degree in social work from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, Mr. Hudson worked as an advocate for people who are blind and people with other disabilities. He accepted the position of director of the Division of Services for the Blind in 1981, and remained at the helm of the agency until his death. In addition, he was the first chairman of the Arkansas Board of Social Work Registration, served as the governor's advocate for the developmentally disabled during Gov. David Pryor's and Gov. Bill Clinton's administrations, served several terms as the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas, and was a member of the National Association of Social Work. For more information, contact: Division of Services for the Blind, Arkansas Department of Human Services, 700 Main Street, P.O. Box 3237, Little Rock, AR 72203; phone: [phone] or 501-682-5463.

On November 16, 2007, Stephen Hiroshi Miyagawa died. Mr. Miyagawa lost his sight in 1951 during a mortar attack while serving as a member of the member of the Fifth Regimental Combat Team of the U.S. Army. He completed the rehabilitation program at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hines Blind Rehabilitation Center in Illinois in 1952 and became a lifetime member of the Blinded Veterans Association. A life-long advocate for Hines, Mr. Miyagawa created and edited the Hines Blind Center Alumni News Flash (1979-1983), he was also editor of the Illinois Blinded Veterans Association Voice (1983-1986) and the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center Torch (1986-1996) while working for 32 years at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Upon his retirement, Mr. Miyagawa authored the book, Journey to Excellence: Development of the Military and VA Blind Rehabilitation Programs, which was published in September 1998. It describes the evolution of rehabilitation for people who are blind and pays homage to the early pioneers and students of what was a new discipline when Mr. Miyagawa was at Hines in the 1950s. [Information for this piece was taken the article "Triumph of a Blinded Veteran," which appears on the Senior World web site; available online: <www.seniorworld.com/life/life_special/Blind_Vet.html>.]

On November 29, 2007, Betsy Zaborowski, senior advisor of the Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind (NFB), died. Dr. Zaborowski was named executive director of the Jernigan Institute in December 2003, and she passed the torch of the executive director position to Mark Riccobono in July 2007, when she accepted a senior advisor role. She also worked for eight years as NFB's director of special programs. Prior to joining NFB, she was a clinical psychologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Along with a successful private practice, she taught at the School of Continuing Studies, Graduate Education counseling program at Johns Hopkins University and lectured at the university's School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Before moving from her home in Colorado to Baltimore in 1987, she practiced in the field of health psychology for Kaiser Permanente and as a mental health and university-based counselor, and worked for six years as a middle and high school guidance counselor. Dr. Zaborowski received a doctorate degree in psychology from the University of Denver and held bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin--Menomonie. A member of NFB since 1979, in 2001 she and husband James Gashel, vice president of marketing for Kurzweil-NFB Reading Technology and former executive director for strategic initiatives for NFB, received the Jacobus tenBroek Award, the federation's highest recognition of exemplary service. In addition to this award, Dr. Zaborowski has been honored by many organizations for her professional accomplishments and was appointed by the governor of Maryland to various state commissions, including as the first chair of the state's Commission on Disabilities. In a message announcing Dr. Zaborowski's death, James Gashel described his wife's work: "The power of her spirit and the contributions of her life will last forever." NFB welcomes individuals to share memories of Dr. Zaborowski's life and work. For more information, contact: National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; e-mail: <[e-mail]>.