In 1973, Au Clair had amongst its residents a youngster named Champ. Champ didn't come to Au Clair with the same classic diagnosis of most of its tenants, Kanner's Syndrom - Ken considered Kanner's his expertise. Mazik held the opinion that it was the most severe of those conditions that at the time constituted what scientists and doctors knew about Autism and his acquiring physical custody of those children affected with it was part and parcel to the progress he was making in the field. It was his niche.
Champ was not the typical resident by any means, but his presence at Au Clair was immortalized in 1973 when the Ken commissioned famed artist Charles Parks to sculpt his likeness.Kanner's syndrome
Etymology: Leo Kanner, Austrian-born American child psychiatrist, 1896-1981a form of infantile psychosis with an onset in the first 30 months of life. It is characterized by infantile autism, with signs of lack of attachment, avoidance of eye contact, and general failure to develop social relationships; rituals and compulsive behavior manifested by a resistance to change and repetitive acts; general intellectual retardation; and language disorders, which may range from muteness to echolalia. Treatment may include psychotherapy and special education, depending on the child's intelligence level. (Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 9th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.)
The lifetime works of Charles Cropper Parks are a Delaware treasure. Just as Frederic Remington reminds us of the American West, Charles Parks represented Delaware, its people, its landscape and its values. Parks had always hoped that one day his vast collection would be housed in a space that would be available to the public. In 2011, that hope became a reality when the Parks family donated approximately 290 of Charles Parks' works of art to the State of Delaware. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?pid=160668101#sthash.9GUDLIgT.dpuf
As well it should have... except Chance had nothing to say.
If you haven't guessed it already, Champ was not a student of the two-legged vatiety. He was the Au Clair mascot. A "big, black Labrador retriever" whom Mazik claimed he'd taught to talk. Not bark, whine, or whimper. But, straight up human guttural words. Champ was the Mazik Miracle whose skills out-performed those of the fellow students who accompanied him to the museum. Champ was his validation.
Champ and Fiberglass Statue along with his Au Clair pals.
And to think, in just a few short years, Au Clair would be on the verge of being closed by the State of Delaware.
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