MSD and Fulton have been the site for several
important national meetings. In the summer of 1941 and again in 1951, the
Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf made Fulton and MSD the
site of their biennial meeting. The National Association of the Deaf
traces its modern organizational history to a meeting held on the campus
of MSD in 1956. The meeting referred to as the Fulton Tontine is viewed by
the NAD as the real beginning of their developing strengths as a national
organization. In the summer of 1980, the National Tryouts for Track and
Field were held in Fulton. Athletes from throughout the United States
descended on Fulton for the four-day tryouts which led to the selection of
a U.S. Track and Field team representing the United States at the World
Games for the Deaf held the next year in Cologne, West Germany.
There are many deaf adults throughout
Missouri who call MSD their alma mater. The alumni, although spread
throughout the state and nation, remain loyal to MSD. Through the years
the MSD alumni have volunteered their support of special campus projects.
One of the noteworthy projects of the alumni association is the beautiful
stained glass window located in the lobby of the Wheeler Hall building.
The MSD Alumni Association as far back as 1899, began to consider a
suitable memorial to the school's founder, Dr. W.D. Kerr. By 1905, the
Alumni Association had collected over $1,100 toward the project. Fulton
Architect M.F. Bell was requested to take charge of the project. The
window was finally put in place around 1905 in the school's chapel. Later,
when the old buildings were razed to make way for new construction, the
window was moved to its present location. Its location and prominence in
the Wheeler Hall lobby is fitting tribute to Dr. Kerr whose kindly
countenance meets all who enter the building.
MSD Alumni were also involved in a project
to raise funds for the erection of the Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Memorial
Statue located in front of the Ingle Auditorium. The statue symbolizes
Alice Cogswell, the first deaf youngster in the United States to be
educated in an American school for the deaf. Inspiration for the statue
came from Dr. Lloyd Harrison, the tenth superintendent of the Missouri
School for the Deaf, who labored over several years to bring the project
to fruition. The statue is one of the prominent features of the campus and
has been the site for hundreds of photographs made of students and
visitors to the MSD campus.
Part of the Missouri School for the Deaf's
historical strength must certainly be attributed to strong leadership
exerted by a host of well-qualified administrators, staff and faculty.
There has been a steady stream of deaf educators whose experience includes
service at MSD or family background rooted in Callaway County. Callaway
County can boast as no other county in the country with the number of
native sons who have served as chief administrator of state schools for
the deaf. They include: Alfred Brown, Marvin Clatterbuck, J.R. Dobyns,
Virgil Epperson, Charles B. Grow, Lloyd A. Harrison, Ben E. Hoffmeyer,
William J. McClure, Osa Lee McIntire, J.S. Morrison, Robert D. Morrow,
Clarence Settles, Eldon Shipman, John Shipman. Numerous other former
residents and MSD-connected individuals continue today to uphold the
tradition of high caliber professional service.
Students are enrolled at the Missouri
School for the Deaf as the result of a cooperative placement process
initiated at the local school level. Students come from virtually every
corner of the state. Most enrollees attend as residential students,
although over the years many families have moved to Callaway County and
the surrounding area so their children could attend as day students. The
school's programs are operated on a K-12 structure with students moving
through successive grades in each of the three school components; primary,
intermediate and high school. The Missouri School for the Deaf has also
been fortunate in being able to provide strong vocational programs. In
1982 an expanded vocational complex was dedicated. The entire school
program is accredited by both the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools and the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the
Deaf. Students who do not pursue their education at the college level
receive strong training in vocational education and are placed
successfully in jobs throughout the state and nation.
