President Hurwitz donates book collection to Rockville, Md. middle school

Gallaudet University President T. Alan Hurwitz donated a 25-book collection to the Earle B. Wood Middle School library in Rockville, Md. on December 20 on behalf of an anonymous donor.

Dr. Hurwitz officially handed over the Gallaudet University 150th Anniversary Library Bookshelf to the school in front of more than 100 students and administrators during a special program. More than 30 of the students who attended are involved in the school program for deaf and hard of hearing students.

The book compilation was created by Gallaudet University Press in honor of the University sesquicentennial anniversary in 2014 and contains volumes on deaf history, deaf culture, American Sign Language, deaf American poetry, and deaf education. Several students in the deaf and hard of hearing program presented to the audience class projects about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, two pivotal figures in deaf history, as well as American Sign Language and deaf culture.

The 150th anniversary book collection will help enhance the Earle B. Wood Middle School students connections to deaf culture, deaf history, and deaf identity, said President Hurwitz. I am deeply appreciative of the anonymous donor generosity. I know the books will be appreciated by many readers in the years to come.

This is the second 150th anniversary book collection President Hurwitz has donated on behalf of the donor. In early December, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. was given a book set. The books are available to the general public.

Anyone interested in purchasing books for donation, please contact us.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.