Personal glimpses of Ira Hirsh: Covariance of perception and reality

No publication honoring Ira Hirsh would be complete without a personal reflection on his enormous influence on his colleagues, students, and friends. During his career in St. Louis that covered the entire second half of the 20th century, and still continues, Ira interacted with numerous colleagues at the Central Institute for the Deaf, where he served as a senior scientist, Director of Research, and Institute Director. His second parallel career was at Washington University, where he was the Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. This small contribution presents some personal observations about working with Ira and summarizes some of his contributions to the field of effects of excessive noise exposure.