Tiger Love: New major leads to lifetime of love

Bob Mather ’74 will forever remember the summer of 1970. He was attending a visual performance in American Sign Language at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Sue Mozzer ’74 was signing.

“I’ll never forget her smile,” Bob said. “That’s when I fell in love.”

Although he wouldn’t get that first date with Sue until years later, the two eventually made their way to the altar and are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

During his first few months at NTID, Bob changed his major twice before committing to the social work program. Sue was also enrolled in the social work program. Coincidence? Not according to Sue.

“I was really independent and wanted to focus on my studies,” she said. “My best friend tried to set us up several times, but I wasn’t interested. After Bob transferred into social work, we hung out as friends and study partners for nearly three years.”

The turning point came when Bob planned a surprise birthday party for Sue.

“We graduated with our bachelor’s degrees in 1974 and got married later that summer,” said Sue. “The rest is history.”

Sue arrived at NTID two years after the college began its operations; Bob came the following year. They witnessed the growing pains of bringing together deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students. Sue learned from her hearing brother, Dick, who also attended RIT, that many of the university’s hearing students were upset about the benefits deaf students received. These benefits included vocational services for reducing tuition and the cost of books.

“Growing up, Dick was not encouraged to learn sign language,” said Sue. “We had a typical sibling relationship mixed with rivalry and some shared activities and used gestures for communication.”

Sue was dedicated to promoting Deaf culture and combating negative stereotypes about deaf people on campus. She organized a “Listen to the Deaf Week” event in Rochester, aimed at raising awareness and fostering understanding. She also distributed colorful pins featuring the ASL sign for “I love you,” helping to introduce this sign to more people. Her efforts led to increased awareness and appreciation of Deaf culture among hearing students.

“People often ask what NTID means to me,” said Sue. “NTID provided a connection to my brother. NTID is where we could talk with each other using sign language.”

After graduating, Bob continued on to law school with Sue as his confidante.

“There were many times when others doubted me. I wondered whether I could really become an attorney. But Sue was always in my corner and so positive. After I finished law school, it was my turn to support Sue as she completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in linguistics,” said Bob.

The Mathers, who live in Maryland, have two grown children. Their daughter, Roberta, an NTID alumna, was recently promoted to chief communications officer for the International Labor Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, and their granddaughter, Savannah, is attending NTID this fall. Sue’s brother also met his wife, Sharon, at RIT. They, too, are celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary.

Reflecting back at his time at NTID, Bob is grateful for the opportunities.

“At one point, deaf people were told that we could do some things, but not all things. But, at NTID, we were encouraged to grow, and we were suddenly given opportunities to dream. There were no limitations, and the world opened up for us.”

This story originally appeared in RIT News.