CSDR Old Times

11/21/2023

Share this with your friends who have an ongoing need for signing professional development.

I have 42 years of ASL teaching experience with 13,700 student and 50 years of pursuing Deaf Studies. This should suffice to give prospective attendees what I have to offer to the niche audience.

Thank you for your network

Kevin

03/13/2023

The 2023 Regional Academic Bowl competitions are officially over! Over the weekend, 19 teams converged onto the beautiful rolling hills of the Kentucky School for the Deaf campus in picturesque Danville, Kentucky to battle it out for the title of East Regional Champion.

Tonight, California School for the Deaf, Riverside came out on top of Frederick County Public Schools (MD) 96-90 in an exciting championship match culminating in a heated tiebreaker. Congratulations to both teams, and to Model Secondary School for the Deaf, who defeated Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick in a well-fought 3rd Place Match.

Marie Philip and Walden Schools (MA) defeated READS Collaborative (MA) to clinch the 5th and final spot to the 2023 National Academic Bowl competition next month.

Full list of award winners:
1st place: California School for the Deaf, Riverside
2nd place: Frederick County Public Schools (MD)
3rd place: Model Secondary School for the Deaf (DC)
4th place: Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick
5th place: Marie Philip and Walden Schools (MA)
Wild card team: READS Collaborative (MA)

Team Sportsmanship: Mountain Lakes High School (NJ)
Team Sportsmanship: Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf

Four-Year Players:
Dee Cobb, READS Collaborative (MA)
Terell Demorcy, New York School for the Deaf
Bella Finkle, Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick
Keanu Herzig-Wilcox, Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick
Coffey King, Model Secondary School for the Deaf (DC)
Manuel Perez, New York School for the Deaf
Dalina Schwartz, Model Secondary School for the Deaf (DC)
Emma Weckbacher, READS Collaborative (MA)
Ty Willey, California School for the Deaf, Riverside

Rising Star Awards:
Elijah Echols, Tennessee School for the Deaf
Jaden Gamache, California School for the Deaf, Riverside

All-Star Awards:
Dee Cobb, READS Collaborative (MA)
Keanu Herzig-Wilcox, Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick
Hiruni Hewapathiranage-Mayadunne, Model Secondary School for the Deaf (DC)
Delaney Ringer, Marie Philip and Walden Schools (MA)
Aaron Strom, Frederick County Public Schools (MD)
Ty Willey, California School for the Deaf, Riverside

Most Outstanding Player:
Sophie Fernandez, Frederick County Public Schools (MD)

Many thanks to the Kentucky School for the Deaf, and their host coordinators, Cheyenne Jennings and Billy Gulley Jr., for being amazing hosts for this year's East Regional! Join us for the National Academic Bowl competition in Washington, DC from April 20-24!


Gallaudet University

03/12/2023

Ralph “Rick” Fertig in Heaven Now

Tonight I got a message from Mary Jane Fertig. She broke the news that Rick had died in sleep yesterday morning on March 10. He was 74. To our surprise, his life journey on Earth suddenly came to an end.

It seems like Rick was around with us forever because he spent 40 years teaching and working in different departments at CSDR from 1969 to 2009. Like his wife of 44 years, Mary Jane, Rick made positive touch on thousands of students of all ages, especially in high school. Hundreds of staffers also enjoyed working with him. He was easygoing and funny. To be sure, he was exceptionally bright. He could have become a nuclear physicist, but, instead, he was attracted to Deaf Education.

Dr Brill hired Rick to teach in Fall 1969 and wanted him to teach in high school. In a counteroffer, Rick asked to start in elementary school. He was only 19 years old with an MA degree. He didn’t want to teach seniors at his age. His request was granted. Two years later, he transferred to junior high school for social studies. Several years later, he finally moved to high school, where he stayed for decades. He mainly taught reading which was a perfect match for him. He grew up with books.

In 1975, Rick invited me to see his childhood house in Los Angeles, and I was shocked to see thousands of books stacked up from the floor to ceiling in one bedroom. His love for books inspired me to do likewise for myself. Starting in 1974, I have 1,000 books on the Deaf community in my home library.

Photo 1: The recent photo of Rick in his retirement since 2009. He looks good with white beard.

Photo 2: Rick volunteered his time with student activities in the first 20 years of his long tenure at CSDR. He felt at home at CSDR.

Photo 3: If his ship sinks, he would be happy to curl up with books on a small island by himself to pass time while his SOS distress is in effect.

Alumni and retirees have many fond and funny memories with Rick. Let us remember him that way. It remains to be seen if we will have a service in his Memoriam. We will wait and see. But for now, we pray for Mary Jane and their daughter, Erica, to pull through this difficulty. Our thoughts are with them. We are one big CSDR family.

On behalf of the thousands of students at CSDR from 1969 to 2009, we thank Rick for everything he did for our education and beyond. We knew he was a good teacher and a true friend of the Deaf.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor, CSDR Old Times
11 March 2023

03/11/2023

My Birthday Today - Big 66!

Everyone has a birthday once a year. My day came today. That made me 66. I have come a long way since 1957. I am old enough to have seen how time changed with fashion, technology, transportation, etc.

The picture shows CSDR in the background and how the school and my family shaped my life as a young boy. I remain the same from my years at CSDR.

I drive a 2012 Toyota RAV4 with a license plate that spells “CSDRBOY.” That sums up who I am today.

I choose to spend my retirement writing the CSDR Old Times posts that will be incorporated into a published book in 2028 for the school’s 75th anniversary. I also spend time running the campus museum I started in 1995 - almost 30 years ago.

My mother told me years ago that age is a number. Don't let it bothers me. Stay positive and productive each day. She is right.

Thank you, my readers, for being my CSDR friends. That is enough for a good birthday gift today.

Thank you, Tom Divel, ‘77, for your creative work on the picture.

Cub Hugs,

Kevin, ‘76

03/10/2023

03/10/2023

Welcome back, Coach Norman!

CSDR Athletics is thrilled to bring back the baseball program after a long hiatus. The program will be led by Norman Weiss who served as a head coach for baseball in the 2000s. We are excited to see Coach Weiss in action once again!

We look forward to seeing the red and gray stripes in action once again!

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03/08/2023

Before and Now Comparisons on Campus

Tom Divel, ‘77, found some cool pictures to compare campus parts from the past with today.

Photo 1: This is Gate 1 on Horace Street near Arlington Ave. The picture was snapped in 2011. The Superintendent's house was still in place. The Randall family was the last family to live there until June 1998. The chain link gate was used to close the traffic on weekends.

Photo 2: At Gate 1, the simple fence has been replaced with the iron-wrought fence that closes at 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and on weekends. Staff needs gate access cards to open the gate.

Photo 3: Today’s look on the corner of the Horace Street and Arlington Ave intersection. Take note of the four plants growing in individual letterforms.

Photo 4: The corner chainlink fence was filled with plants to maintain privacy and reduce the traffic sounds for the first three families: the Brills, the Lennans and the Randalls.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor, CSDR Old Times
8 March 8, 2023

03/08/2023

Ground Ivy Accompanied the Covered Arcade

The older alumni and retirees look at the ground ivy in the picture with fond memories. The ivy added beauty to the campus. The arcade used to start at the dining room and continued to the gym about a quarter of a mile away. The ivy also continued from the dining room to the gym. Hence, the arcade and Ivy complemented each other.

In the late 1990s, Dr Randall issued a work order to remove the ivy from campus in its entirety. The reason for his work request was to combat the ongoing pest problems stemming from the ivy. It provided shelter for mice, rats, lizards, insects and other small creatures. It was next to impossible to remove the pests without removing the ground ivy. As a result, cobblestones became an alternative to the ivy in its place on both sides of the long arcade.

Photo: This image strikes anybody as a beautiful campus with well-tended landscaping. The campus landscaping requires several full-time groundskeepers to maintain the campus beauty. Unseen at the right is the dining room. Also unseen at the left is the old Shasta I dorm for senior girls. We also remember the well-pruned tree at the left.

Personally, I take the ground ivy in preference to the cobblestones for campus beauty. The ground ivy, however, stays in history as the common landscaping feature on the sprawling campus.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor, CSDR Old Times
7 March 2023

03/07/2023

The coach!

Jeremias Valencia wins his second national Coach of the Year recognization. During the most recent season, he became the fastest coach in school history to reach 50 wins as well!

Well deserved Coach V!

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03/07/2023

TEAM OF THE YEAR!

USA Deaf Basketball Youth has announced its pick for the 2023 Boys Basketball Team of the Year. This marks the first time that our boys' basketball has won the Team of the Year honor by the USA Deaf Basketball Youth.

Congratulations to the team for the incredible achievement!

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03/06/2023

Train Crossings on Arlington Ave

The City of Riverside has two giant train companies, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). These carry over 75% of the freight from and to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles through Riverside. It is impressive that 130 trains pass through the city each day. Construction of overpasses and underpasses is expensive but necessary to reduce traffic backups.

Next to CSDR on Arlington Ave, the development of the $12 million underpasses was recognized as necessary. The Riverside City Hall felt it was time to bring a solution to the traffic gridlock at train crossings, a significant source of concern because of the potential threat to the safety of students.

Photo 1: The train tracks were built on Arlington Ave in the 1920s. See the undeveloped school grounds in the background.

Photo 2: From the 1920s to 1955, drivers crossed the tracks at their own risk. In 1951 Arlington Avenue was a two-way street with an estimated one hundred vehicles per day.

Photo 3: In 1955, red blinking lights were installed for better safety. CSDR was the overriding reason for the installation.

Photo 4: In 1965, wood barriers were installed for extra safety.

Photo 5: The ever-busy Arlington Avenue was closed for six months in 1998 to construct a new underpass to allow smooth vehicle flow under the railroad tracks. The Avenue reopened in February 1999.

In 1948, CSDR Founder Perry E Seely was aware of the inherent danger the train crossings nearby could pose to the future school for the deaf. It was one disadvantage compared to the many advantages on the list. Fifty-one years later, in 1999, the underpass bridge's completion made the disadvantage disappear.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor, CSDR Old Times
6 March 2023