Felice Leonardo Buscaglia (March 31, 1924 – June 12, 1998), also known as "Dr. Love", was an American author, motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Life and career

Felice Leonardo Buscaglia was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 31, 1924, into a family of Italian immigrants. He spent his early childhood in

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

, Italy, before going back to the United States for education. He was a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School. Buscaglia served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; he did not see combat, but he saw its aftermath in his duties in the dental section of the military hospital, helping to reconstruct shattered faces. Using

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

benefits, he entered the

, where he earned three degrees (BA 1950, MA 1954, PhD 1963) before eventually joining the faculty. He was the first to state and promote the concept of humanity's need for hugs: 5 to survive, 8 to maintain, and 12 to thrive. Upon retirement, Buscaglia was named Professor at Large, one of only two such designations on campus at that time.

Student's suicide

While teaching at USC, Buscaglia was moved by a student's suicide to contemplate human disconnectedness and the meaning of life, and began a noncredit class he called Love 1A. This became the basis for his first book, titled simply ''Love''. His dynamic speaking style was discovered by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and his televised lectures earned great popularity in the 1980s. At one point his talks, always shown during fundraising periods, were the top earners of all PBS programs. This national exposure, coupled with the heartfelt storytelling style of his books, helped make all his titles national bestsellers; five were once on the ''New York Times'' bestsellers list simultaneously.

Death

Buscaglia died of a heart attack on June 12, 1998, at his home in Glenbrook, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, when he was 74.

In popular culture

In a May 12, 1984 ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...

'' comic strip, the dog

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

is seen strolling towards

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

and

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

. Snoopy gives them both warm and sincere hugs. Afterwards, Charlie Brown explains their dog's actions to his puzzled sister: "You can always tell when he's been listening to Leo Buscaglia

tapes Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive * Athletic tape, pressure-sensiti ...

." Buscaglia's "Dr. Love" moniker, PBS lectures, and philosophy of hugs were referenced in Season 2, Episode 1 of ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

''.

Bibliography

#''Love'' (1972) #''The Way of the Bull'' (1973) #''The Fall of Freddie the Leaf'' (1982) #''Living, Loving and Learning'' (1982) #''Loving Each Other'' (1984) #''Amar a los demás'' (1985) #''Personhood'' (1986) #''Bus 9 to Paradise'' (1986) #''Papa My Father'' (1989) #''Because I Am Human'' (1972) #''The Disabled and Their Parents: A Counseling Challenge'' (1983) #''Seven Stories of Christmas Love'' (1987) #''A Memory for Tino'' (1988) #''Born for Love'' (1992)

References

External links

Leo Buscaglia and Felice Foundation official site

* ttp://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=l_buscaglia Buscagliaat The "My Hero" Project
"Learn the Joy of the Moment"
by Leo Buscaglia, PhD

by Leo Buscaglia, PhD

at USC Alumni News

Public Television programs with Leo Buscaglia available {{DEFAULTSORT:Buscaglia, Leo 1924 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American novelists American self-help writers 20th-century American educators American writers of Italian descent USC Rossier School of Education alumni University of Southern California faculty American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers United States Navy personnel of World War II