Class of 1961 Deaf Documentary Fund

At our 55th Anniversary Reunion in 2016, the Class of 1961 began fundraising to establish an Endowment Fund to support the Drs. John S. & Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. Our class views the Center as being the wave of the future and providing opportunities for students to be involved with documentary work.

The Center provided much time and expense to developing the Deaf Difference + Space Survival exhibition that went on display in 2017. This spotlighted deaf bioastronauts, including Class of 1961 members Harry Larson and David Myers, who were involved with the country’s early space program research. Since then, this exhibit has gotten much attention from various sources including NASA. Gallaudet’s legacy of alumni contributing to history in the space program is now more widely known.

In the Fall of 2020, Class of 1961 successfully endowed this fund. Today, we invite you to continue contributing to our Class of 1961 Deaf Documentary Fund. This Endowment supports the Deaf Documentary Center’s mission in educating students in the documentary arts and exploring the lives of deaf people through research, documentation and dissemination.

Thank you for your continued support.