In Memoriam
The Fellows remembered here were established scholars whose participation in Pike Center programs advanced the work of language development. Their scholarship, mentoring, and example continue to shape our community.
Fellow
Mike Cahill (1954-2024)
Mike was the International Orthography Services Coordinator and a Senior Linguistics Consultant for SIL International. He earned a PhD in Linguistics from the Ohio State University in 1999 and did extensive fieldwork in Ghana with speakers of the Kɔnni language. His main research contributions were in phonology, tone analysis, and the design of practical orthographies for previously unwritten languages. He is remembered by colleagues for his gentle, friendly, and supportive manner. Read the LSA tribute.
Fellow
Tom Headland (1935-2024)
Tom was Senior Anthropology Consultant with SIL International. He earned a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Hawaii in 1986 and, with his wife Janet, lived and worked for decades among the Agta Negrito hunter-gatherers of Casiguran, Philippines, beginning in 1962. His main research contributions were in ecological anthropology, hunter-gatherer societies, and Philippine Negritos, and he was widely recognized as the dean of Agta studies. Read the Anthropology News tribute.
Fellow
Lynell M. Zogbo (1948-2026)
Lynell was an author and editor with the United Bible Societies, following a thirty-year career with UBS as a translation consultant in West Africa. She earned a PhD in Linguistics from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1979 and did fieldwork in many countries of West Africa. Her main research contributions were in West African linguistics and the translation of the Old Testament, including her work editing the UBS Handbook Series and Le Sycomore, the journal for Francophone translators. Read her obituary.