Nancy V. Becker 

Class of 1966

Student #4719 – 2012 Hall of Fame Excellence

After graduating in 1966, Nancy graduated from Gallaudet University, then moved to Massachusetts, where she landed her first job as the houseparent in a group home. There, she met Jack Levesque, who got her involved in the Massachusetts Association of the Deaf (MSAD.) and the New England Athletic Association of the Deaf. In time, she was recognized as a community leader by Harlan Lane at Northeastern University (NU) and was employed at NU as the ASL Program Coordinator, where she continued to run the ASL program for seventeen years. Sadly, she became ill with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and had to resign from her position at NU; however, she continued to volunteer and lend her wisdom and experience to various organizations in support of the Deaf community. Two weeks before her death, she wrote her last article for MSAD’s “Deaf Community News” (DCN). Nancy was a firm believer in volunteering and encouraged everyone around her to become involved in helping others to gain experience and develop their skills. 

Barbara Jean Cassin

Class of 1975

Student #4433 – 2012 Hall of Fame Excellence

Barbara began her relationship with the American School for the Deaf at the age of three with her parents, Donald and Rosemarie Cassin, who immersed themselves with in everything that ASD had to offer. Barbara was actively involved in ASD’s sports (basketball, field hockey, and softball), the Student Body Government, and Jr CAD. Her academic achievements included the Headmaster’s Award and scholarships. At a very young age, Barbara learned that dedication, perseverance, and hard work were the foundations for success. These lessons have guided her throughout her adult life as a leader and valuable team player. In addition to her job as a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of Connecticut, she has collaborated with many other state agencies and resource providers to improve access to services for deaf and hard of hearing. Her involvement with and commitment to the Deaf community extended to her “out of work” life, especially with the ASDAA as an active member, holding various offices since graduating from ASD. She also has been involved with the Connecticut Association of the Deaf (CAD), having served as President and Vice-President. She is currently the first Vice President of the ASD Board of Directors.

Judith “Judy” Eileen Mezzanotte (m. Gilliam)

Class of 1963

Student #4089 – 2012 Hall of Fame Excellence

Judith enjoyed a fruitful 27-year career at the Alabama School for the Deaf as a classroom teacher, dean of girls, supervising teacher, director of instructional services, and director of the primary department. 

As an advocate for the deaf community, her focus has been at all levels whether local, state, and/or national. Her personal mission emphasis has been advocacy in education, interpreting, and rehabilitation. Some of the milestone and major activities include serving on advisory councils for State Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation and Alabama-Governor’s Office of Disabilities, as President of the Alabama Association of the Deaf, Chair of the Certification Committee for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and on the Board of Directors for Communication Services for the Deaf.

In addition, Judith served on the State Bias Review Committee for the Alabama Basic Competency Examinations where she was involved in the development of appropriate language structure; the results came out so well that the state used the examinations not only for deaf people, but also for the hearing population. She led the establishment of state-level mental health facilities, helped bring about Alabama Legislation recognizing an American Sign Language as a foreign language, co-chaired the National Council on interpreting that promoted and completed the new interpreting certification test, and served as the 2012 National Association of the Deaf Conference Chair.

Susan Mozzer (m. Mather)  

Class of 1969

Student #4237 – 2012 Hall of Fame Excellence

Dr. Mather graduated with a B.S.W. (social work) from the Rochester Institute of Technology, an M.A. in Linguistics from Gallaudet University, and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University. She is the first Deaf woman from ASD to earn a doctoral degree. Among her significant accomplishments was establishing the first “Listen to the Deaf Week” in 1974 to promote a better understanding of the American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture while as a student at NTID-RIT. She encouraged the Mayor of Rochester, New York, to create a declaration of “Listen to the Deaf Week”. Mather is also the co-author of the well-exclaimed book “Movers & Shakers: Deaf People Who Changed the World”. Another major accomplishment of hers is her work in researching the use of appropriate eye gazes in classroom discourse. While she taught at Gallaudet University for over 20 years, she published many scholarly articles, and developed a training program on visually based classroom discourses, which emphasized visual approaches instead of auditory approaches. Mather has served on the ASD Board of Trustees and various education committees.