Archives for July 2001

Originally appeared in Silent News, July 2001.

Every day I open my e-mail, and am often bombarded with e-mail after e-mail about various situations at schools in the nation. It’s almost frightening for me at this point. It’s tragic that so many things are happening at so many different schools. Let me give you a quick rundown of the problems facing us at the various schools in the country, in addition to the crisis at Riverside, Calif.

Beverly School for the Deaf has closed its residential program due to declining enrollment, but continues to operate its school. St. Mary School for the Deaf in Buffalo, N.Y., recently experienced an uproar when a committee offered the superintendent position to Dr. William Johnson of the Iowa School for the Deaf instead of Dr. Reginald Redding. This happened even though the community and majority of the search committee clearly favored Redding. Washington School for the Deaf (Vancouver) got bruised recently by a series of in-depth articles in the newspaper about the sexual and physical abuse that allegedly existed at the school. North Carolina School for the Deaf (both Eastern and Morganton) had a revisitation of the battle that Central (Greensboro) experienced when they learned that the state legislation was going to cut their budget and suggest the closure of their schools. The same happened at Alabama with a profound budget cut. The sexual abuse cases at Governor Baxter in Maine continue. The list goes on and on.

Even though I’m not a product of a residential school (unless you count one measly year at Illinois), I still ache when I hear about all these punches in deaf schools’ stomachs. I am a firm supporter of the continuance of residential schools. Most of the deaf people in my family are products of residential schools, and I think they’re all great, great people. No, not all of them are American Sign Language (ASL) users. Some of them are hard of hearing, or oralists. Anyway, I’ve talked with them about their experiences at their schools (a total of five different states), and none had bad things to say. And even the difficult experiences were things they could laugh about today. I didn’t exactly have pleasant experiences at my deaf school, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Yet, we can’t deny that problems exist at schools. Simply because there’s so much history doesn’t mean that things shouldn’t change. There’s a world of opportunity out there with all these crises; this is the deaf community’s opportunity to clean up the schools – that is, if they don’t get shut down first. Give people who are truly the best and qualified candidates in the “deaf school experience” an opportunity to try and improve the schools. I wonder why it’s not acceptable for deaf agencies or schools to give priority in jobs to those who have direct experience with the community (i.e. deaf people, CODAs, etc.)? Is that so wrong? Here at Silent News, we give priority to deaf and hard of hearing writers, though we don’t bar hearing writers with minimal involvement from writing for us. This is a newspaper about the deaf and hard of hearing community. It’s only logical.

Yes, I know I’m simplifying a very complex subject. It’s just so sad to see all our history – which is quickly being recorded before schools die out or before anything happens – become just that: history.

However, these crises can do what the Deaf President Now movement did for us 12 years ago: unite us in a common cause. And what is that common cause? Equal and fair access. Such a simple concept, yet such a Pandora’s Box.

Time after time, we see people trying to take us back to the days of the 1880 Milan Conference. Yet the deaf and hard of hearing community continues to unite whenever it is necessary, whether it be communication issues, language issues, or simple humanitarian issues.

With our history, this is our opportunity to unite and figure out just how we can save our schools, our language(s), and our community.

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Originally appeared in Silent News, July 2001.

In 1901, people had not yet experienced a World War; Titanic hadn’t sunk yet; TTYs and decoders were unheard of; and deaf people were routinely denied life insurance.

The National Fraternal Society for the Deaf (NFSD), one of the oldest deaf organizations active today, recently observed its 100th anniversary with a banquet and weekend of celebration in Elk Grove Village, Ill. On May 25, nearly 200 Fraters congregated for dinner and presentations. In attendance were many notable deaf individuals, including Dr. Frank B. Sullivan and Robert Anderson, former NFSD presidents; Al Pimentel, superintendent of the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains; and Billie Moehle, the first woman elected to the NFSD Board of Trustees.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Fraters were immediately greeted by a room full of exhibition displays, which included photographs from NFSD’s first year, various letters focusing on the peddling scandal of the 1940s, and many other amazingly preserved documents. Photos showed group after group gathering at picnics and events in cheerful spirits. In browsing the exhibits, it became apparent quickly that NFSD has had a rich history.

A quick history lesson
NFSD was formed in 1901 to provide life insurance to deaf people at low costs, in addition to offering socialization opportunities. A group of men at the Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD), who were influenced by a fraternal group during their high school days at MSD, a group known as the Coming Men of America (CMA), came together at an alumni picnic to discuss the feasibility of such a life insurance organization.

The Fraternal Society of the Deaf (FSD) was established in 1901, in Illinois since a majority of the men were employed in the Chicago area, on June 12. FSD became NFSD at the national convention held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1907. Today, NFSD has 68 divisions in the nation and is licensed to sell insurance in 36 states.

Historical book
Banquet attendees were given many goodies, including a ruler, cups, and a hand towel. But perhaps best of all, attendees were also given a commemorative book of NFSD’s grand history.

“I felt the best way to attract the attention of readers was to do a quarterly chronological history, with corresponding pictures, articles, poems, etc., for each page,” Editor Virginia Borggaard said. “Fortunately, there were several published articles written by Fraters – all accomplished writers – and convention proceedings that enabled me to put historical facts into perspective for each important year being covered.”

The book, filled with clear and crisp photographs, biographies, and a detailed chronological history, is a must-see for any person interested in the history of not only NFSD, but also of the deaf community. The efforts began three years ago, and interestingly enough the most difficult era to record wasn’t the early years.

“The hardest part was finding a complete written history on the period from 1952 to 2001, since there are no published papers covering this period of time as a whole, other than the every-four-years convention proceedings since 1952 and The Frat magazines,” noted Borggaard. Borggaard worked closely with Carol Van Nevel, the Society archivist, and Dr. Frank B. Sullivan, who offered feedback and proofreading skills.

Fraternalism
The spirit at the 100th anniversary banquet was very much filled with fraternalism. The night began with remarks from Grand President Al Van Nevel, who began his involvement with NFSD in 1964 as an accountant and became Grand Treasurer in 1967. The master of ceremonies for the evening was past NFSD Board Chairman Charles Giansanti. After an invocation given by Mary Anderson, wife of NFSD’s 11th Grand President Robert Anderson, Roberta Cordano of Minnesota treated the audience to a speech.

Cordano, a third-generation NFSD member, spoke about building community. Her grandfather, John Cordano, was extremely active with NFSD activities, and passed down that activism to her father, Waldo Cordano. “My father had a briefcase in his closet,” Cordano said. “Whenever we kids saw him take that briefcase out of his closet, we knew it was time for serious business, NFSD business.”

After Waldo passed away in 1994, his wife Jean was asked to fill his board position. Jean did so, serving for five years, then passed along the board position to one of her three daughters, Mary Cordano Dall of Indianapolis. Dall has a deaf son who is also a NFSD member – making him the fourth generation to be so.

This spirit of fraternalism was stressed by Cordano, who said, “When I was socializing with some of [the members] last night, one thing was common. Each member had stories after stories about their NFSD involvement, activities, and experiences. Stories that made me feel so much a part of the NFSD family.”

This feeling is found in many other members. Michael N. Ubowski of Phoenix, Ariz., who serves on the NFSD board of directors, says, “I am a diehard NFSD member and have been in my own way driving people to think one thing. When I was the Western Regional Field Manager of NFSD – and I still say the same thing today – I would always lecture to the people that once they join NFSD, it belongs to them, too…not ‘us’ or ‘them’ but us together – and that is what fraternalism is all about.” Ubowski also designed a commemorative poster tracing NFSD’s history.

After dinner, the opening of a 25-year-old time capsule was to be opened by Sullivan. The time capsule was buried at the former home office in Mount Prospect in what was claimed to be an airtight container. However, some of the NFSD officials decided to open the capsule a few days earlier to ensure that everything was of decent condition. That was when that they discovered the contents had been completely demolished by Mother Nature.

A few notable members were also recognized. Forrest Reid of Chicago was recognized as  NFSD’s oldest member in attendance, at the age of 92. Henry Niemeyer was also recognized as the longest-serving member of NFSD in attendance, having been a member for 61 years.

Barry Strassler of Annapolis, Md., gave his speech next. He spoke of the past 100 years in historical terms, and stated that NFSD stood for nostalgia, force, seed, and destiny. The evening was capped off by a performance given by Charles N. Katz of California.

“The weekend succeeded in achieving our goal in recognizing those people who made NFSD what it is,” President Van Nevel said.

Norman Glazer, of Skokie, Ill., who attended the events with his wife Minnie said, “The exhibitions were especially interesting. The attendance numbers seemed to be pretty good, and I enjoyed the events thoroughly.”

Sullivan said, “Most noteworthy [of the evening] was the age of the attendees – mostly older people who stayed loyal to the NFSD through the years.”

So, what lies in the future for NFSD’s next 100 years? “I’d love to see a renewed interest in the history and solidarity of the NFSD, and a surge in new members,” said Borggaard, who was the first woman elected to NFSD’s board of directors and who continues to serve today. She added, “By 1945, the phenomenal growth of the NFSD to 10,000 men (no women were admitted until 1952), came by because members themselves brought in new members.”

Ubowski added, “NFSD is now working to explore what the public wants to ensure that we give them what they want, and at the same time, they can keep us together, moving into the next century at the satisfaction of both parties.”

The spirit of fraternalism has always been a priority in NFSD, and from the looks of things at the 100th anniversary banquet, it’s obvious that this spirit isn’t going to die anytime soon.

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Originally appeared in Silent News, July 2001.

Visitors to St. Paul will see a variety of characters – including some quite comical ones. No, that isn’t an insult to anyone. The city is literally filled with Snoopys and Charlie Browns.

Charles Schulz, the late creator of the comic strip Peanuts, was originally from St. Paul. The city, proud of its hometown hero, decided to have various statues of Snoopy scattered throughout the city. The Snoopys were a phenomenal success, so the city decided to this again, this time with Charlie Brown, another character in the strip. Artists were invited to submit applications to paint one of 102 statues. Helene Oppenheimer, well-known for her Deaf Art sculptures, decided to try and apply on behalf of her Deaf Art Club, a group of approximately 20 members that meets regularly to work on Deaf Art sculpting and exhibits.

“I sent in my drawing of ‘Charlie Brown Understands American Sign Language’ to the City of St. Paul along with my resume and the application form. They showed it to the Schulz family and to companies interested in buying a Charlie Brown statue,” Oppenheimer said. “My drawing was selected out of 500 by Hamline University.”

With the selection, Helene and the Deaf Art Club congregated at a studio to work on their Charlie Brown sculpture, which stands six feet tall. While at the studio, a chance meeting took place between Stephanie Johnson, Schulz’s granddaughter, and the Deaf Art Club.

“The lady that was in charge of the whole Charlie Brown thing, knows that I know ASL and that I love it. She came up to me, as I was painting my Charlie Brown, and told me that a lady at the other end of the room, was painting a Charlie Brown with all hands on it. She didn’t exactly know what they all were,” Johnson said. “Well, I got really excited, because I absolutely love to meet people and talk about ASL. I introduced myself and told her about how I am working on a career in ASL.” Johnson is studying to become an interpreter in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In fact, there is an interesting connection between the Peanuts creator and the deaf community. “I also thought it was such a strange coincidence that there was a person doing that sort of idea for a Charlie Brown. Also, my grandpa loved that I did ASL. In his Ice Arena, in Santa Rosa, Calif., he had hired a deaf lady in the coffee shop,” Johnson recalled.

“He was so excited to tell me about her, and wanted me to meet her. So, one day, he took me to her, and we had a nice conversation, and he just sat and watched. He thought it was the coolest thing. A few years before, when I was first starting out in sign language, I had taught him the sign for ‘dog’ because he loves his dog. So I remember him doing that sign all the time for me!” Johnson said in an e-mail.

The statue opened to the public along with the other statues on June 8 and is located specifically at Hamline University on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. The statues will eventually be auctioned off for charity.

With this statue, Oppenheimer said, “We hope that more people will be involved in our DeafArt Club projects, including teaching/creating DeafArt in the schools and with our Deaf seniors.”

Johnson said, “I think [my grandfather] would also love that the Deaf Art Club and Helene did that Charlie Brown, because he so much liked that I use sign language.”

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Originally appeared in Silent News, July 2001.

A recent fall has shaken up the Alabama School for the Deaf’s community. Don Hackney, a long-time coach and athletic director at ASD, suffered spinal injuries due to a 10-feet fall while trimming a tree. Currently at a spinal injury center, Hackney suffered a broken back, a compressed spine, bruised lungs, and a broken shoulder in the accident, in addition to cracking his 11th vertebra.

“It was definitely a shocker for me and I still am shocked. After knowing Hackney for 26 years – all of his years here – as a player for him for four years and as a coach for eight years, I find it hard to believe and accept,” said Bill Estes, girls’ basketball coach.

Hackney started his coaching career at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, then moved to the athletic program at ASD. He has quickly become one of the winningest prep athletics coaches in Alabama, most recently bringing his basketball team to Birmingham’s Final Four with a 32-2 record in 1996 and again in 1997 to the semi-finals with a 31-2 record.

Silent News named him national coach of the year four times, and he received many other honors on a local and statewide level. Hackney is also a marathon runner, and jogged 10 miles daily before the accident.

His supporters, however, are confident he will recover quickly. “I remember my most depressing loss to Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf girl’s team last year in Morganton, N.C., by one point. I thought we had the game till the waning seconds and I was totally crushed,” Estes said. “He came to me and said that it was a tough loss, but you have to keep your head up. He also said that I would have a new life tomorrow and life moves on. With the successful surgery he had recently, I have a strong feeling that he will overcome like he usually does.”

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