Buscaglia, << bu SKAL yuh, >> Leo (1924-1998), was a popular American author, educator, and lecturer best known for his optimistic messages about love. He was sometimes called the “hug therapist” because of his fondness for hugging his admirers. At the end of his lectures, many members of the audience would line up to embrace him. Beginning in the late 1970’s, the Public Broadcasting Service televised many of Buscaglia’s lectures. In the early 1980’s, several of his books appeared on The New York Times best-seller lists. They were Love (1972), Personhood (1978), Living, Loving, and Learning (1982), The Fall of Freddie the Leaf (1982), and Loving Each Other (1984).
Felice Leonardo Buscaglia was born on March 31, 1924, in Los Angeles to parents who had emigrated from Italy. Shortly after his birth, the family moved back to Italy. They returned to California when Buscaglia was 5 years old. At that time, he could not speak English.
Buscaglia served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1944, during World War II. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and speech from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles in 1950 and a Ph.D. in language and speech pathology from the university in 1963.
While in graduate school, Buscaglia worked in the California public school system as a teacher and speech therapist. In 1960, he became the supervisor of speech therapy and special education in the public school system of Pasadena, California.
In 1965, Buscaglia took a new job teaching in the special education department at USC. Soon afterward, he took a leave of absence and spent about two years traveling in Asia. Then he returned to teaching at USC. There, in the early 1970’s, he taught a noncredit course called Love 1A. The course became so popular that he began to tour the lecture circuit. He taught at USC until 1984. Buscaglia’s other books include Bus 9 to Paradise (1986), Seven Stories of Christmas (1987), and Leo Buscaglia’s Love Cookbook (1994). Buscaglia died on June 12, 1998.
