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* m. (married name)
John Brewster, Jr.
Left 1820
Student #6
2006 Hall of Fame Excellence
Mr. John Brewster, Jr. was a well respected portrait artist in the early to mid 1800’s. He studied painting with the Rev. Joseph Steward, a friend and fellow paster of Rev. Mason Fitch Cogswell, in the 1790’s. He traveled throughout New England and eastern New York State in pursuit of his craft. After considerable success, at the age of 51 he enrolled in the first class of students at the American School. for the Deaf in 1817. He was the oldest student in the seven member class, whose average age was nineteen. John Brewster is regarded as one of the key figures in the Connecticut style of American fold portraiture.
Dr. Gilbert Charles Eastman
Class of 1952
Student #3752
2006 Hall of Fame Excellence
Dr. Gilbert Eastman graduated from A.S.D. in 1952 and served as professor in the Theatre Arts Department at Gallaudet University from 1957 to he retiring in 1992. He was one of the founding members of the National Theatre of the Deaf which was established in 1969. He worked as an actor, stage manager, translator and/or director for more than 50 plays and as a host of “Deaf Mosaic”. He was the author of “From Mime to Sign”, “Just a Deaf Person’s Thoughts II”, and “Laurent Clerc; A Profile”. He received an honorary doctorate degree of Fine Arts from Gallaudet University in May 2002.
Robert Donald Ingerson, Jr.
Class of 1970
Student #3752
2006 Hall of Fame Excellence
Robert graduated from ASD in 1970. After graduation, Robert enrolled in a series of workshops to enhance his vocational skills. In June of 1986, Robert was hired by the Karabin family, owners of Acme Monaco Corporation, where he worked for 20 years and had a perfect attendance record. In the year 2000, he was nominated by his employer and was awarded the “Employee of the Year” at the 1th Annual New Britain National Disability Employment Awareness day ceremony.
Donald Andre LaRoche
Class of 1961
Student #375
2006 Hall of Fame Excellence
Donald was a great leader in the Deaf Community serving as an officer for deaf associations. He excelled professionally, working for Pratt & Whitney for 30 years and serving as the supervisor of the Inspection Department for the last 15 years of his tenure. He fights for the deaf civil rights has been a defining passion in his life.
Malcolm J. Norwood
Class of 1943
Student #3752
2006 Hall of Fame Excellence
Dr. Malcolm J. Norwood graduated from A.S.D. in 1943 and Gallaudet University in 1949. He then went on to teach at the Texas School for the Deaf, the American School for the Deaf, and at the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. He became the first professional to join the U.S. Office of Education in 1960. He was Chief of Media Services and Captioned Films for the Deaf when he retired.
Edmund Booth
Class of 1830
Student #257
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Edmund Booth was a graduate of the Old Asylum in 1830. During the gold rush of the 1840s, he became a famous “Forty-Niner” and a Deaf pioneer in the Wild West. In later years, Edmund was the Editor of the newspaper “The Anamosa Eureka” in Iowa and was instrumental in founding the Iowa School for the Deaf.
Thomas Lewis Brown
Class of 1827
Student #102
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Thomas Lewis Brown was taught by both Laurent Clerc and Thomas H. Gallaudet at the Old Asylum. He was the key player who helped prepare the foundation of NAD and founded the New England Gallaudet Association of the Deaf, the first interstate organization serving the Deaf in the United States.
Edward S. Buell
Class of 1942
Student #3667
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
After leaving ASD, Ed was very active with numerous organizations: Greater Bridgeport Association of the Deaf, New England Athletic Association of the Deaf (NEAAD), Eastern Athletic Association of the Deaf (EAAD), American Athletic Association of the Deaf (AAAD), Connecticut Deaf Senior Citizen, Connecticut Council Organization, Connecticut Association of the Deaf, and New England Deaf Bowling. Then, he continued his involvement with organizations in Arizona with the Phoenix Association of the Deaf, Greater Phoenix Deaf Senior Citizen, and Farwest Athletic Association of the Deaf (FAAD).
He was known as the Father of the New England Athletic Association of the Deaf (NEAAD) along with five others who founded this organization. Ed also founded the Greater Bridgeport Association of the Deaf with four other fellows.
Ed served as President of NEAAD, Vice-President, as Secretary-Treasurer, President and Treasurer of the Greater Bridgeport Association of the Deaf (GBAD), and numerous times as Vice-President of Eastern Athletic Association of the Deaf.
Ed was also very influential in obtaining a 75% discount on the TTY bill by testifying at the Public Utilities Commission Hearing for the Deaf community in Connecticut.
Laurent Clerc
Honorary
ASD Founder
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Laurent Clerc co-founded the first school for the deaf (ASD) in North America and was widely regarded as “The Apostle of the Deaf in America.” He also had a great influence in the development of American Sign Language. Clerc retired from a long and illustrious career at ASD at the age of 73 in 1853.
Alice Cogswell
Class of 1824
Student #1
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Alice Cogswell was the inspiration for the creation of the first school for the deaf in North America when as a nine-year old deaf girl, she met Thomas H. Gallaudet, a neighbor of Dr. Mason Cogswell. She was among the first 9 students at the school when it opened in April 1817.
Lois Jean Gower (m. Morin)
Class of 1961
Student #4442
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Lois has been very active with various organizations as Acting President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Maine Association of the Deaf, Chairperson and Chaperone of the Maine Deaf Pageant in 1986, 1988, and 1990, Secretary of the Maine Alumni Association of the Deaf, Maine Deaf Senior Citizens, Maine Recreational Association of the Deaf and Chairperson of the Maine Deaf Timberfest in 1998, 2002 and 2005.
She is on the Maine Registry of Interpreters and an advisor on the Maine Division of the Deaf and the Telecommunications Relay Services. In addition to the various advocacy groups, she is a Maine Deaf Rights Group member. She also worked on the annual Maine TTY directories for 15 years and with the Peruvian Deaf/Hard of Hearing children in Lima, Peru.
Lois has been recognized for her dedicated service with the GBSD (Governor Baxter School for the Deaf) and received Special Recognition for her work with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Citizens by the Division of Deafness and Advisory Committee, Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation. She was also given an Honorary Lifetime Membership for her outstanding leadership and dedicated service as an interpreter for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Citizens in Maine by the Maine R.I.D. In appreciation for her dedicated service to the Greater Portland Club of the Deaf, her outstanding work was recognized by the GPCD. She was recognized by the Maine Telecommunications Relay Services Advisory Council for making the Universal Telecommunications Services a reality for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Speech-Impaired citizens in the State of Maine by A.T.&T.
Samuel Thomas Greene
Class of 1866
Student #1227
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Samuel T. Greene graduated from the Old Asylum in 1866. His major achievement was founding the Ontario (Canada) School for the Deaf in 1886.
David Hillard Halberg
Class of 1948
Student #3643
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
David Halberg was a longtime math teacher and very much involved with ASD as an alumnus, leader, wrestling coach, counselor, scoutmaster, school photographer, and historian for over 50 years. He founded ASD’s first wrestling team in 1953 and his wrestling team won two national titles.
He did invaluable volunteer work in the Gallaudet-Clerc Historical Room as the leading historian and archivist. He researched the history of Amistad and ASD and also co-authored “The Chain of Love” with co-author Annabelle Young in 1997.
For many years, he was a member of the American School for the Deaf Alumni Association (ASDAA), where he served as President, 1st Vice President and Executive Secretary. He was honored by the ASDAA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Excellence Hall of Fame in 2010.
David received the highest Scouter’s Award, the Silver Beaver, in 1982 for his distinguished service with the youth several other notable scouting awards. For over 30 years, he was involved with the scouting program at ASD and a scouter for 41 years.
Mr. Halberg was so highly regarded at ASD that October 8 in 1983 was proclaimed by the ASDAA as “David H. Halberg Day,” In 2018, he received the Golden Rose Award of National Association of the Deaf (NAD) for his distinguished service to the deaf community.
John Burton Hotchkiss
Class of 1864
Student #1410
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Dr. John B. Hotchkiss was a graduate of the Old Asylum in 1864. He became the first official Gallaudet University Head Football Coach in 1883. The football field at Gallaudet University was named after him. He also knew Laurent Clerc and did the oldest recording storytelling film about him.
Robert Panara
Class of 1940
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Robert Panara graduated from ASD in 1940. He was a legendary Professor at Gallaudet University and National Technical Institute for the Deaf. From 1950 to 2000, he was a well-respected poet and author.
Marie Jean Philip
Class of 1969
Student #4357
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Marie J. Philip graduated from ASD in 1969. She was considered a true visionary and influential figure in the Deaf community. She worked tirelessly as a trailblazer in enriching Deaf Culture, Deaf History, and ASL Literature.
The annual Marie Jean Philip ASL Poetry, Storytelling, and Deaf Art Competition was started in 1997 by Northeastern University to honor Marie Philip and provide a place for public recognition of the creativity and talent of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.
The Learning Center for the Deaf named the new Elementary School, The Marie Jean Philip Elementary School, in her honor on May 30, 2002. The Governor of Massachusetts, Jane Swift, emphasized Marie’s leadership and the importance of both passion and education in pursuing our dreams. On September 1, 2015, The Learning Center for the Deaf announced that the PreK-12 program would be renamed the Marie Philip School.
William Benjamin Swett
Class of 1842
Student #610
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
William B. Swett graduated from the Old Asylum in 1842. He was the founder of the Beverly (Massachusetts) School for the Deaf in 1876. He also was a well-known guide in the White Mountains in New Hampshire during the later 1800s for many years.
Job Turner
Class of 1840; Left in 1839
Student #438
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
Reverand Job Turner graduated from the Old Asylum in 1840. He taught at the Virginia School for the Deaf. During the 1880s, he was a popular and famous preacher in the South and a contemporary of William Willard.
William Willard
Class of 1829
Student #132
2010 Hall of Fame Excellence
William Willard was a graduate of the Old Asylum in 1829. He was the founder of the Indiana School for the Deaf, which opened on October 1, 1843.
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.
Chin Heng Lim
Class of 1970
Student #4967
2014 Achievement Hall of Fame
Chin Heng Lim graduated from ASD in June 1970 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Gallaudet University in 1975. At Gallaudet, he learned to develop leadership skills which he put to good use back home in Singapore. Chin was a resource teacher for the Deaf in Upper Sera Ngoon Secondary, where he taught the students to use Total Communication. These teaching methods helped the students to understand their lessons more efficiently. Not only that, Chin helped to expand the Singapore Association of the Deaf and was responsible for setting up a resource library for the association. By forming the Deaf Access Committee, he broke barriers for the deaf, including conducting sign language classes and workshops. He was instrumental in setting up a sign language dictionary. As an outstanding Deaf citizen, he had been a trailblazer for the Deaf in Singapore and was personally responsible for many of the changes for the Deaf community that occurred over the years.
Anna Marino (m. Fronczek)
Class of 1919
Student #2886
2014 Achievement Hall of Fame
Anna established the Hartford Branch of the National Association of the Deaf in 1937, to ensure that Deaf people could keep their legal rights to drive autos. She was the key person who spoke at the first meeting about the necessity of this organization. As the “first Deaf woman” hired to work at one of the well-known insurance companies in Hartford, she paved the career path for other Deaf women during WWI and WWII. In 1939, the Connecticut Association of the Deaf (CAD) was organized to encourage Deaf people to join and voice their concerns and rights; however, this caused the Hartford Branch of N.A.D. to fold out. Undaunted, Anna continued to promote CAD’s mission with enthusiasm. In 1978, she gave her first Secretary CAD book, asking that it be treasured as an essential item of ASD’s history (now in the Cogswell Historical House for preservation.) Anna was also involved in the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, the first insurance company of the Deaf established in 1901 as the Treasurer of the Hartford Chapter of NFSD, which closed in 2010. She was proud of her Italian heritage and cared deeply for any Deaf cause.
Patricia “Patty” Ann Walker (m. Golebiewski)
Class of 1964
Student #3941
2014 Achievement Hall of Fame
After graduating in 1964, Patty was employed at the Edward Malley Company as a fashion illustrator and did the artwork for a local newspaper, the “New Haven Register,” for over ten years and three years as a freelance artist while she was on maternity leave. Patty’s energy and enthusiasm were contagious, as was her ability to help ASD She had taught art classes as a volunteer at the school for years, showing students how to draw and create art. Patty felt it was important that the students learned to express themselves. She was always accommodating when other teachers asked for help to draw pictures for their classes. It was a joy for her to work with students and staff every day. She also designed a monopoly “ASD History” game, the school’s Christmas cards, a cookbook cover, and Isola Bella’s iconic entrance sign. Patty’s most outstanding design was the school mascot, a tiger hugging the cupola. This design displayed and reminded of ASD’s cherished memories and was also printed on sweatshirts and posters for fundraising purposes.
Basil Owen Brackett
Class of 1960
Student #4351
2017 Achievement Hall of Fame
Basil was very involved in the following associations, where he has shown true leadership for many years: the New England Deaf Senior Citizens, the New England Deaf Bowler Association, the Eastern Deaf Bowler Association, the COOSD Association and the Connecticut Association for the Deaf. He was Chairman and Treasurer of the most significant events: the National Deaf Bowler Association, the AAAD Softball Tournament, and New England Bowler Association Tournament. In 2018, he was the Chairman of the New England Deaf Senior Association in Connecticut.
Dr. Mason Fitch Cogswell Honorary
ASD Founder
2017 Achievement Hall of Fame
Dr. Mason Fitch Cogswell’s youngest daughter, Alice, became deaf at age two, and he sought to find educational opportunities for her. He raised funds to send Thomas H. Gallaudet to Europe to learn their methods of teaching the deaf and was instrumental in supporting the founding of ASD, the first school for the deaf in North America, in which his daughter became the first pupil.
Reverand Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Honorary
ASD Founder
2017 Achievement Hall of Fame
Reverand Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet’s life changed when he met Alice Cogswell, the deaf daughter of his neighbors, Dr. & Mrs. Mason Cogswell. He traveled to Europe to study methods for teaching the deaf and brought back Laurent Clerc, a deaf educator in Paris. Together, they established the first school for the deaf in North America which later became known as the American School for the Deaf. Thomas H. Gallaudet is regarded as the most influential person in the history of Deaf education in America.
Barbara Claire Palmento
Class of 1968
Student #4139
2017 Achievement Hall of Fame
Barbara graduated from ASD in 1968 and from Gallaudet University in 1972. She taught for 34 years at the North Carolina School for the Deaf and was chosen as Teacher of the Year in 2007. Her acts of excellence included as a member and Secretary of the North Carolina Association of the Deaf, Director of the Advisory Board for Big Brothers and Sisters, Inc., the Alder Springs Deaf & Blind Community, and Board Director of Cable T.V.
Algot Anderson
Class of 1917
Student #2828
2018 Achievement Hall of Fame
Algot Anderson was born in Meriden, Connecticut, on October 20, 1897, and entered the American School for the Deaf in 1904 at age seven, graduating in 1917. He loved to play football, basketball, and ice hockey. In 1916, he became the first deaf person in Connecticut to receive a driver’s license.
He served as the boys’ supervisor at ASD in 1919, resigning at the end of the year to devote more time for creative endeavors and play professional football and basketball. He also organized two basketball teams, the famed Hartford Five and the New England Five.
He put his artistic talents to use and worked at the Hendel Company, decorating glass and parchment lampshades, and the Rockwell Silver Company, decorating china with precious metals. Some of his outstanding work was hand painting on pure silk, depicting the Japanese people and Japan, all in lovely colors using Japanese brushes. Emboldened by his success, he decided to go into business for himself, making lamps and lampshades in 1926. His company quickly expanded, and he employed nine people. Unfortunately, the Wall Street crash in 1929 forced them to close, and Algot supported his family by using his carpentry skills building houses.
Continuing his passion for the arts, he returned to decorating china and glassware in 1939. By the 1960s, Algot was well known for his work and asked by the Gallaudet College Alumni Association to create wares to sell for the Centennial Fund. He produced many pieces, some featuring famous historical figures such as Alice Cogswell and Thomas H. Gallaudet and became swamped with large orders.
Algot was known as a kind and cheerful gentleman. Among his many varied interests were beekeeping, growing an apple orchard, raising flowers, masonry, and writing poetry. He was also a member of many organizations, including the National Fraternal Society for the Deaf, the ASD Alumni Association of which he was president during the years 1934 – 1945, and the Silent Mission of St. James’s Church in West Hartford. He continued to sell his wares at ASD and abroad until his death on October 3, 1970.
Levi Strong Backus
Left in 1824
Student #9
2018 Achievement Hall of Fame
Levi Backus was born in Hebron, Connecticut, on June 23, 1803. He was the eldest son of Jabez Backus and Octa Strong. He was born deaf, as was his younger sister, Lucy Ann, who died in 1808 at age five months. Levi was named for his grandfather, Levi Strong.
Levi became the ninth student to attend the Connecticut Asylum for the Education of Deaf and Dumb Persons on April 27, 1817, twelve days after the asylum opened for the first time, at age thirteen. After graduation in 1824, he became the first male American-born Deaf teacher at the Central Asylum School for the Deaf and Dumb in the town of Buel, New York, when the school was established in 1823. The school hired him to teach sign language.
He married his former student, Ann Raymond Ormsby, in the same year that the village of Canajoharie, where he and his wife lived, was incorporated in 1829. They had two hearing children, but their son, Jabez, died at the age of fourteen years, and their daughter died in infancy. Levi’s wife, Ann, was a classmate of Mary E. Wayland’s1, who married John Carlin, a well known deaf artist.
The New York State Legislature decided to close the school in 1836, and Levi’s thirty-three students transferred to the New York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, in New York City because the state couldn’t afford two deaf schools.
In 1837, Levi established a newspaper devoted to the deaf community and is widely considered the first deaf editor of America. The masthead of the publication had fingerspelling inserted next to the newspaper’s title. His success led to other deaf institutes beginning their papers, known as the Little Paper Family. In later years he became a book publisher, printing a book on grammar (1858) and another of poetry (1861).
He died in Cherry Valley, New York, on March 17, 1869, and his burial is unknown.
1 Mary E. Wayland was the niece of William H. Seward, Governor of New York, later U.S. Senator and Secretary of State under 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
James Denison
Class of 1856
Student #898
2018 Achievement Hall of Fame
James Denison was born in Royalton, Vermont, on January 9, 1837, and educated at the American Asylum from 1846 – 1856. After graduation, he taught at the Michigan Institution for the Deaf for a year. His brother-in-law, Edward Miner Gallaudet, who married one of his hearing sisters, hired him to become the first deaf teacher at the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind, where he continued until his death. He was also the first principal of the Kendall School for the Deaf, Washington, D.C. (1869-1909). He served at the Kendall School for the Deaf for fifty-three years and received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1869 and awarded an honorary Ph.D. from George Washington University in 1860.
James was the inventor of the Denison Fraction Scale, a contrivance for teaching fractions and wrote poetry. He was also the editor of “The Silent World” for a year. He felt that his best field was in teaching children, and he was successful in encouraging them to do their best.
He and Edward Miner Gallaudet were close friends. Gallaudet married James’ hearing sister, Susan Skinner, after meeting her at James’ family home.
In 1880, James was the only Deaf delegate representing America at the first International Congress of Deaf Educators in Milan, Italy, along with his brother-in-law, Edward M. Gallaudet, and a few other American hearing delegates. The Milan Conference declared that oral instruction was superior to manual education and passed a resolution banning the use of sign language in the teaching of the deaf.
He died on March 20, 1910, in Washington, D.C., and is buried at the North Royalton Cemetery with his wife Elizabeth “Lizzie.”
