Most babies learn to talk by listening to their parents, and while Joe Lovato's first words were taught to him by his parents, no sound was involved. "Both of my parents were deaf, so my first form of communication was through sign language," explains the 77-year-old retired educator.

Growing up in a deaf household, Lovato not only became proficient in sign language by the age of 4, but he developed an innate sense of compassion that led to a fulfilling career as a teacher for the handicapped within the Santa Fe school system. As he remembers, "My father used to deliver milk to the School for the Deaf back when it was called the School for the Deaf and Dumb. The children who attended the school weren't dumb, they just couldn't hear."

As Lovato accompanied his father on deliveries, he also learned to speak. "The cooks and other workers at the school all spoke Spanish, so that's where I learned my second language. It wasn't until I attended Guadalupe Elementary that I learned to speak English with the nuns."

Having the ability to speak in sign language, Spanish and English was helpful to Lovato and his younger brother and two sisters when they were growing up. "When we get together now, we sign to each other out of respect to our parents, as well as speaking a mix of both Spanish and English," he says.

Lovato was born in Santa Fe in 1932. His father, Jose Lovato, was from San Ildefonso Pueblo and his mother, Rafaelita, came from Morenci, Ariz. The Lovato family lived close to the School for the Deaf. The four children all attended elementary school at Our Lady of Guadalupe before going on to public schools. Lovato attributes his career choice in education to one teacher he had at the now-defunct Leah Harvey Junior High School. "My favorite teacher in the eighth grade was Calvin Capshaw, for whom Capshaw Middle School is named. Mr. Capshaw taught social studies, and he went out of his way to make the course interesting. That's what inspired me to become a teacher," he says.

In 1950, Lovato was called to active duty during the Korean War through the New Mexico National Guard 726 AAA Battery, so he was not able to complete his last year at Santa Fe High School. Instead, after completing his military duty, he received his GED and enrolled at St. Michael's College, where he received a degree in education in 1958. In 1963, he married Priscilla Lopez of Nambé. The couple have been married 56 years and have 11 children; 23 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

While Priscilla stayed at home raising their large family, Lovato worked for 41 years for the Santa Fe Public Schools. His first job in special education came in 1958 at Gonzales Elementary, after which he went on to teach at Kaune, Salazar and Kearny elementary schools. Toward the end of his career, he taught at the SER Career Academy, a small alternative high school. During his teaching career, he also coached the basketball and swimming teams at Salazar Elementary.

In 1975, Lovato was honored nationally in the directory Who's Who in Elementary Teachers. But according to Lovato, his biggest honor has been the gratitude from his former students. "I still see a lot of my former students around town," he says. "Some of them are in their 60s now, and they're always so happy to see me."

Now that Lovato is retired, he spends his time doing what he does best: "Now I'm a substitute teacher."

Ana Pacheco is the founder and publisher of La Herencia, a culture and history magazine, www.herencia.com, 505-474-2800. Her weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Tuesday.