1860 Logo – This image of Old Hartford was used as early as 1860 on school letterhead and envelopes. It was also used for the school’s 75th anniversary in 1892.
1895 Seal –This is ASD’s only official school seal and it is still used today as an embossed seal for official documents. There is no evidence in the archives that this was ever used as a school logo. This seal has the wording, The American School, at Hartford, for the Deaf – Founded 1816 – Ephphatha – He maketh the Dumb to speak. The word “ephphatha” means “be opened” and was taken from the Gospel of St. Mark, 7:34: “Then he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, ‘Ephphatha’ – that is, ‘be opened.’” It is believed that this seal was designed to coincide with ASD’s legal name change in 1895 which added “at Hartford” to its name.
1936 Emblem This was designed by Mrs. Alma (Chadwick) Jayne, the art teacher at ASD, and is symbolic in many ways. The motto that Alma Jayne selected was “Labore percipimus manus et mentis,” which means “By work of hand and mind we perceive (or learn).” The shield in the center displays the burning lamp which represents the light of knowledge. The white oak leaves and acorns depict growth – as a tiny acorn is planted, a strong huge oak tree grows. Also, the white oak is the official state tree of Connecticut. The white pinecones and needles symbolize strength and beauty – as the cone opens, the seeds are carried by the wind. The comparison is when the pupils (the seeds) leave the school (the cone), they go out into the world to start a productive life. This emblem had no official standing other than the school’s as a tribute, however, it was used as an image on notecards by Dr.Boatner in the 1960s and on a letterhead by Mr. McChord in the 1980s. It was also used for the school’s 175th anniversary in 1992.
1985 Logo –There are no records indicating when this Logo was designed, or who designed it. However, it appeared on letterhead used by Mr. McChord in 1985
1987 Logo – This new logo was created by a Hartford artist named John Alves and was part of a program to project a more progressive and contemporary image for ASD. It first appeared in the March 1987 edition of the American Era and was used on all school stationery, envelopes, and publications.
1989 Logos – This image of the Gallaudet Hall cupola was stylized into a logo used by ASD Alumni Association in 2007. Those cupolas and ASDAA Hall of Fame logos were designed by David Pires, Class of 1977.
1992 Logo – New ASDAA Logo Created in 1992 by Patty (Walker) Golebiewski, ’64.
In the early ’90s, the Connecticut Council for Developmental Disabilities and their Director, Ed Preneta, strongly believed that all disabled children should be educated in mainstreamed programs. They proposed that it also apply to students attending the American School for the Deaf.
Winfield McChord, ASD Executive Director of ASD, Ed Peltier, Assistant to the Ex. The director and the ASDAA were alarmed and quickly encouraged our community to attend public hearings in several towns around Connecticut to oppose the proposal and try to educate the non-deaf community that “mainstreaming” was more oppressive and isolating for our Deaf/Hard of Hearing children.
Metro Washington Chapter of ASDAA and Mass. Chapter of ASDAA were established to work closely with ASDAA to protest the concept. That’s how the Tri-chapter was formed. Barbara Cassin ’75 was the president of ASDAA at that time.
After several campaigns, ASD was able to remain open. It struggled with declining enrollment for a few years, but the numbers have increased and remained steady and robust since then.
In response to the Deaf/ASD community’s pressure from the CCDD, Patty Walker Golebiewski drew the logo to show the tiger watching and protecting our beloved school.
2016 Logo – ASD contracted with Adams & Knight to refine its marketing and branding efforts. This new logo with a tag line (ALL ways able) was unveiled during Homecoming Weekend in 2016.
2019 Logo – In October 2019, the ASDAA felt it was time to have Patty’s drawing updated. They asked Randy D’Angelo, an ASD employee, to work on the logo with a redesigned window, the color of the tiger’s eyes changed from cream to yellow, and the artist’s name with class year added to the drawing. The alumni members then voted to accept the revised logo as its official one.