“Stutter Away, Here It’s Okay”
On February 16, 2022, the Pilot published an article featuring the Village Chapel’s beloved Music Director, Stephen Gourley. Here is a clip…
The causes of stuttering are murky but mention genetics, brain disorders, emotional distress. The effects, however, are crystal clear: withdrawal, isolation, anxiety in childhood and beyond. Yet stuttering, officially dysphemia, did not diminish the success of Pres. Joe Biden, Shaquille O’Neal or King George VI, whose unconventional treatment was explored in “The King’s Speech,” winner of four Oscars including best picture, in 2011.
Stephen Gourley has not seen the film. “I can be on board with the message and the therapy but I’m not prepared to watch somebody else stutter,” he says.
Approximately one in 20 children stutters. Gourley cannot remember a time he did not. Yet like Biden, O’Neal and Queen Elizabeth II’s father he is better known for his achievements: Degrees from the University of North Texas and N.C. School of the Arts, recipient of honors and awards, presently Music Director at The Village Chapel and organist par excellence….read the article