sdad winter newsletter

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N E W S SDAD Winter 2008 • Vol. 8, Issue 4 Inside • Keeping in the Loop with NAD ................2 • From the Editor .........................................3 • SDAD Center Changes ..............................4 • Christa Gunderson ....................................4 • CSD of Sioux Falls Moves .........................5 • ADA Amendments Act..............................6 • Introducing PAV ........................................6 • Obituaries ..................................................7 • Events .........................................................8 A Publication for South Dakota Association of the Deaf Members Hello from the SDAD President! Jennifer Dans-Willey Now it’s the fall/winter season! Wow, how fast the time has gone! I am quite proud to say that SDAD has made progress on several items. 1. As a frustrated President during the Emmys Awards not being captioned during a weather alert, I wrote a grumpy letter to KSFY asking for a system change. Immediately, the next day, KSFY responded, apologizing to the SDAD and immediately made changes. Now KSFY is showing captioning during the weather alerts. It is definitely a progress, but not perfected yet. 2. SDAD has assumed the responsibility of the Sioux Falls SDAD Recreation Center. The transition was a bit hard on SDAD, especially on the budget management, staffing, and the games. We have a committee of 8 members who has worked behind the bar, serving members of SDAD of drinks, meals, and more. It is still a working phase and we hope to actually finalize everything by Jan 1. 3. Vlog and flyers for future events has been uploaded on the website. 4. We have hired a lobbyist and we are in a working progress to finalize the agreement between SDAD and the lobbyist. Action will be focused on Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights in the upcoming legisla- tive session in 2009. 5. Calendar for the year 2009 is soon finalized and will be uploaded on Dec. 15 for everyone to read. Copies of the calendar will be distributed on Dec. 14 at the Holiday festivities at the Sioux Falls’ SDAD Center. You can see, we are going into 2009 with great expectations of SDAD! I want to take this oppor- tunity to recognize and personally thank Mark SDAD President, continued on page 2 Palmer L. Larson and Velma Jane Souhrada were inducted into the South Dakota Association of the Deaf (SDAD) Hall of Fame. The 2008 SDAD Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony were held at the SDAD Recreation Center in Sioux Falls on Sat., Sept. 27. Larson enters the hall in the sports division. Souhrada, a for- mer SDAD president and currently serving as the organization’s treasurer, has been selected in the community service category. The Hall of Fame committee recognized and honored Larson for his involvement and participation in sports during his hey- days. Larson, who graduated from the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) 68 years ago, participated in softball throughout his childhood. He played first baseman and as a back-up pitcher. Back then, he received all-star honors from SDSD and the YMCA league. After graduating from SDSD in 1940, Larson continued his participation in softball with Midwest Association of the Deaf for four years. He also participated in basketball. Larson has been an active SDAD member for 45 years. He also has been a member of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf Division #74 and the Chat and Nibble Club, now known as the Sioux Falls Association of the Deaf. Larson worked as a custodian with his wife, Emma, at SDSD from the mid 70s till the early 80s. Souhrada has received multiple awards for her contribution Souhrada & Larson Induced into SDAD Hall of Fame SDAD Hall of Fame, continued on page 7

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Page 1: SDAD Winter Newsletter

N E W SSDAD

Winter 2008 • Vol. 8, Issue 4

Inside• Keeping in the Loop with NAD ................2• From the Editor .........................................3• SDAD Center Changes ..............................4• Christa Gunderson ....................................4• CSD of Sioux Falls Moves .........................5• ADA Amendments Act..............................6• Introducing PAV ........................................6• Obituaries ..................................................7• Events .........................................................8A Publication for South Dakota Association of the Deaf Members

Hello from the SDAD President! JenniferDans-Willey

Now it’s the fall/winter season! Wow, how fast the time has gone! I am quite proud to say that SDAD has made progress on several items.

1. As a frustrated President during the Emmys Awards not being captioned during a weather alert, I wrote a grumpy letter to KSFY asking for a system change. Immediately, the next day, KSFY responded, apologizing to the SDAD and immediately made changes. Now KSFY is showing captioning during the weather alerts. It is definitely a progress, but not perfected yet.

2. SDAD has assumed the responsibility of the Sioux Falls SDAD Recreation Center. The transition was a bit hard on SDAD, especially on the budget management, staffing, and the games. We have a committee of 8 members who has worked behind the bar, serving members of SDAD of drinks, meals, and more. It is still a working phase and we hope to actually finalize everything by Jan 1.

3. Vlog and flyers for future events has been uploaded on the website.

4. We have hired a lobbyist and we are in a working progress to finalize the agreement between SDAD and the lobbyist. Action will be focused on Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights in the upcoming legisla-tive session in 2009.

5. Calendar for the year 2009 is soon finalized and will be uploaded on Dec. 15 for everyone to read. Copies of the calendar will be distributed on Dec. 14 at the Holiday festivities at the Sioux Falls’ SDAD Center.

You can see, we are going into 2009 with great expectations of SDAD! I want to take this oppor-tunity to recognize and personally thank Mark

SDAD President, continued on page 2

Palmer L. Larson and Velma Jane Souhrada were inducted into the South Dakota Association of the Deaf (SDAD) Hall of Fame. The 2008 SDAD Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony were held at the SDAD Recreation Center in Sioux Falls on Sat., Sept. 27.

Larson enters the hall in the sports division. Souhrada, a for-mer SDAD president and currently serving as the organization’s treasurer, has been selected in the community service category.

The Hall of Fame committee recognized and honored Larson for his involvement and participation in sports during his hey-days. Larson, who graduated from the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) 68 years ago, participated in softball throughout his childhood. He played first baseman and as a back-up pitcher. Back then, he received all-star honors from SDSD and the YMCA league. After graduating from SDSD in 1940, Larson continued his participation in softball with Midwest Association of the Deaf for four years. He also participated in basketball.

Larson has been an active SDAD member for 45 years. He also has been a member of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf Division #74 and the Chat and Nibble Club, now known as the Sioux Falls Association of the Deaf. Larson worked as a custodian with his wife, Emma, at SDSD from the mid 70s till the early 80s.

Souhrada has received multiple awards for her contribution

Souhrada & Larson Induced into SDAD Hall of Fame

SDAD Hall of Fame, continued on page 7

Page 2: SDAD Winter Newsletter

PRESIDENT Jennifer Dans-Willey

VICE PRESIDENTMark Gunderson

SECRETARYArlin Devish

TREASURER Jane Souhrada

BOARD MEMBERSDave Dahle • Bruce KuckerHeidi Branch • Tom Kober

Paula Souhrada

SDAD NEWS STAFF

CSD Chief Executive OfficerBenjamin J. Soukup

SDAD News EditorLarry Puthoff

102 N. Krohn PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57103

(605) 367-5761 or [email protected]

Design EditorDeb Kuglitsch

Project CoordinatorDuane Hanson

Published QuarterlyMarch, June,

September and December

Deadline for SubmissionsFebruary 1 • May 1

August 1 • November 1

Annual regular membership dues: $15 for regular members, $10 for senior citizens. For first-time members, a $5 fee will be added.

SDAD Recreation Center3520 Gateway Lane

Sioux Falls, S.D. 57106(605) 367-5759 TTY/Voice

Design services forSDAD News are provided by

CSD Publication.

2

Keeping “in the loop” with NAD

SDAD News is published as a service of CSD.

CSD (also known as Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing broad–based services, ensuring public accessibility and increasing public awareness of issues affecting deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Through global leadership and a continuum of quality communication services and human service programs, CSD provides the tools conducive to a positive and fully integrated life.

SDAD President, continued from page 1

for his hard work with the Recreation Center and the snack bar. He has suc-cessfully gotten the snack bar operations to a point where it has become easier and easier each time. With Mark’s dedication to the SDAD center, we cannot go wrong with anything there. Thank you, Mark for your patience with the transition and the hours you have put in for SDAD.

I personally look forward to 2009! All because of the SDAD Conference! Register before April 15, you will save a bunch! I cannot wait to get together with each one of you in Spearfish!

SDAD-ly Yours,

Jennifer Dans-Willey SDAD President

Below is some of the latest selected news and information from the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) home office in Silver Spring, Md. • Judith M. Gilliam has been appointed as one of the two Region III repre-sentatives on the NAD Board of Directors, filling in the remain-der of the four-year term of Liz Hill who resigned on October 26, 2008.• It’s official that the 2010 NAD Conference will be held Philadelphia. The 50th biennial celebration will be held July 5-10, 2010.• The NAD Board of Directors seeks the involvement of interested and energetic persons who want to get involved in the

NAD – and help make difference on behalf of the American deaf and hard of hearing community. Interested persons

are encouraged to send a detailed email to makeadifference@

nad.org, explaining their interest, areas of exper-

tise, and how they can contribute to a particu-lar standing commit-tee. • Also on the NAD home page one can

learn more what the NAD has done in the

areas of law and advoca-cy, international and youth

activities and accomplishments over the past two years. • You can log on the NAD home page (www.nad.org) for more details on the above NAD news and information.

SDAD Committee Chairpersons

Below is a list of SDAD committees and the names of the chairperson of each committee.

Bylaws – Tom Kober Education – (Vacant)Finance – David Soukup Recreation – Curtis Anderson Legislative – Clarke Christianson Technology – Kevin Barber Hall of Fame – Willard Schumack Museum – Tom Kober SDAD News – Larry Puthoff SDAD Conference – Jennifer Willey Miss Deaf South Dakota – Paula Souhrada

Anyone willing to serve on one or more of the following committees should contact the chairperson of the committee(s) you wish to serve. Contact Mark Gunderson if you have any ques-tions or concerns.

Page 3: SDAD Winter Newsletter

FROM THE EDITORLarry Puthoff, SDAD NEWS Editor

3

Greetings SDAD members and friends, The summer Olympics, 2008 SDAD Hall of Fame Banquet

and Ceremony, World Series, 2008 presidential election, and another beautiful fall foliage and Halloween are all now his-tory. It makes one wonder where the summer and fall have gone.

The election is over and the results tell us that it will be President Obama for the next four years. We also know our Senate and Congressional winners as well as our local politicians who soon will be packing for Pierre or the county courthouse. Thank you for doing your civil duty – voting on Nov. 4. Everyone’s vote counted.

It has been a long 20-something months. It’s nice once again not to be pummeled with political ads when we turn on the TV, answer the phone, and read the newspaper and magazines. And it’s time now to put our differences behind us and find ways to work together, addressing the many chal-lenges and issues that are before us.

Speaking of being voted into office, Ben Soukup has been re-elected to serve another year as president of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees (BOT). His term became effec-tive last October. Soukup and the BOT will address two major items during the year. One is to move on with the pro-cess of selecting the next president of Gallaudet University. The other is to draft the university’s strategic plans.

South Dakota’s 84th Legislative Session is not too far off. The legislative session will run for forty (40) days, opening on January 13. (Note: In November, South Dakota voters voted to set legislative sessions in S.D. at a maximum of 40 days every year. The maximum 35-day legislative ses-sion during even-numbered years no longer exists.) South Dakota’s Legislative Research Council (LRC) provides some excellent tools for tracking activity during session. Go to http://legis.state.sd.us and click on “General Information” to find a host of information options.

The upcoming SDAD conference moves West River this year, after being held at Camp Lakodia three continuous conferences. The conference will be held in the Black Hills at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center in Spearfish July 10-13. “You + Future = Stronger SDAD” will be the 45 biennial conference theme. Come and get involved and enjoy the change of scenery. Be sure to fill out a registration form and submit it to President Jennifer Willey so the conference committee can make arrangements accordingly.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget to check out the

SDAD Web site at www.SDAD.org. Click on the different links, including past SDAD board meeting minutes. And remember, we are always interested in hearing what you think. Send your comments to the attention of the SDAD News editor at 5945 South Lois Lane, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 or via e-mail ([email protected]). As a membership organization, what SDAD accomplishes depends greatly on the involvement, commitment and activities of individual members — YOU. Also, please be sure to notify us if you have a change of address.

Thank you for reading with us today! I conclude with sincere wishes for a most enjoyable and peace filled holiday season.

The annual SDADHoliday Dinner will be held on Sunday,December 14, from

11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.at the SDAD Center

Watch for a flyercoming to you withmore information

Happy Holidays

Page 4: SDAD Winter Newsletter

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Since Sept. 1 some program changes have been made at the SDAD Center. The South Dakota Association of the Deaf (SDAD) is now in charge of the center, including the snack bar operations. Prior to Sept. 1, CSD was responsible for such operations.

Mark Johnson has assumed responsibili-ties of the snack bar operations via a contract with SDAD. Johnson is the Chairperson of the SDAD Recreation Center snack bar. Some of his major responsibilities include coordinating rental activity at the center, supervising people who work behind the snack bar, shopping and stocking up for gro-ceries and/or supplies for the center, maintaining monthly reports to the SDAD Board and plan and schedule Friday evening events, as well as any weekend opening dates, at the center. Johnson is also responsible for the well being of people who use and/or rent the center.

Starting some new programs, such as scrapbook proj-ects for individuals, roundtable discussions on open topics, and sharing topics related to public information, on Friday nights are some of the goals Johnson has set for himself and the center. He also hopes to organize children’s movie

nights, and a variety of parties at least once a month. If things work out as planned, at least one Friday night will be for the purpose of fund raising.

An ad hoc committee known as the SDAD House Committee has been estab-lished for the center. The role of the house committee is to assist working behind the snack bar and cleaning up the center after being used. The House Committee is also responsible for assisting with plans and organizing special events at the center. In other words, the committee has the role to help make decisions and offer advice on

scheduling events at the center. Johnson oversees the House Committee which consists of eight SDAD members. Each member has a specialized duty and will be paid a stipend each night they actually work.

These changes are considered to be a transition period until Jan. 1. The program changes will be evaluated to see if they (the changes) have been positive and are in the best interest of the Deaf Community.

Anyone wishing to make reservations to rent the center can contact Mark Johnson at [email protected].

New changes made at the SDAD Center

Mark Johnson

Christa Gunderson was nominated and chosen as the recipi-ent award-winner from the South Dakota Interpreter Association (SDIA) last summer. Marlee Dyce, SDIA president, wrote and submitted the nomi-nation for Christa based on com-ments she (Dyce) received from other interpreters throughout the state. The comments Dyce received about Christa include qualities such as her willingness to work as an ally with deaf indi-viduals in creating a working environment that is beneficial for all consumers.

Christa, who is respected throughout the Deaf Community as well as the interpreter com-munity, is continually further-ing her education. As Dyce said, “Her love of learning is apparent in her constant travels to work-shops and trainings. She is a

leader in the interpret-ing community serving as Vice President of SDIA and as a mentor.”

Anyone who knows and works with Christa will agree that she goes above and beyond the call of duty in her work

as an interpreter, taking assign-ments at odd hours even when they are not convenient for her schedule. Additionally, Christa is known to volunteer at all of the interpreter workshops as well as many of the Deaf events throughout the year. “We look up to her as a role model for student interpreters, and those of us who have been in the field for years,” said Dyce.

In addition to doing an out-standing job as an interpreter, Christa is kept busy fulfilling her role as a mother to her two daughters, Hannah and Camille, and as a wife to her husband, Greg.

Christa Gunderson is recipient of the Buckmaster Award

Quote Corner:“There are worse

crimes than burning books. One of them is

not reading them.” ~William Temple

Can You Identifythe Girl in the Tub?

Answer on page 7

Page 5: SDAD Winter Newsletter

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By Nikki Soukup

On Sept. 15, CSD of Sioux Falls reopened its doors at 100 N. Krohn Place after moving from its previous location at 3520 Gateway Lane. CSD of Sioux Falls has returned to its historical roots by relocating to the CSD home office campus, where CSD (also known as Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc) began over 30 years ago. CSD first opened on Nov. 1, 1975, with one office–the broom closet of the Simpson Building, formerly part of the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD).

Over the years CSD moved from one building to another, expanding offices while increasing services to meet the various needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community. In 1987, CSD moved to its Gateway location and remained there until 1996. In 1996, the South Dakota Association of the Deaf (SDAD) and CSD worked together to purchase the western half of the SDSD campus. The deaf community rallied to keep this property for its valued history. The historical buildings became home once again for CSD Headquarters. CSD further expanded by incorporating Telecommunications Relay Services and eventually Video Relay Services, in addition to providing human service programs in other states across the nation. While CSD Headquarters moved

to the historic SDSD campus, CSD of Sioux Falls continued to provide human service programs at the Gateway location until September of this year.

“The move of our local Centers of Excellence (COE) branch office to our home campus headquarters is a definite advantage -- for our staff, for the organization and especially for the consumers in our community,” said Ben Soukup, CEO and president of CSD. “We’ll now be able to work side by side with everyone at CSD to achieve our initiatives, and are thrilled to combine our corporate resources and synergy to create the best possible service delivery model here in the Sioux Falls area. For

the past twelve years, we have separated our programs in locations throughout the Sioux Falls area. This has had some advantage but combining our offices on one campus has far more advantages -- mainly offering staff the opportunity to work with other CSD employees, lending our efforts and expertise to make CSD the best possible organization that it can be. This is why we firmly believe that the Buckmaster Building is now a fitting home for our human service program.”

When CSD first opened, services focused primarily on TTY repair and interpreting. Today, a wide array of services is provided to the deaf and hard of hearing community nationwide. In South Dakota, community services include independent living, advocacy, social and recreation, mentoring, case management, health awareness, substance abuse and the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP) and many others. CSD of Sioux Falls continues to offer these services to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Sioux Falls and its surrounding areas.

The community and general public are welcome to visit CSD of Sioux Falls’ new location during its Open House on December 4th in Sioux Falls from 2-5pm. Refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!

CSD OF SIOUX FALLS WELCOMES YOU TO BUCKMASTER!

The Buckmaster building is the southernmost building on the CSD Headquarters campus. It is is next to East 10th Street. The human service offices and TEDP programs are on the 3rd floor, which is easily accessible by an elevator.

Bus: Route #4 – Bus stops at 10th and Jessica—walk west to CSD. Or stop at 10th and Blauvelt and walk east to CSD. Route 4 will depart and leave from the downtown transfer station every half hour during rush hour and then every hour during normal hours.

Car: From I-229: Take the E.10th Street exit. Head west until St. Paul Ave—turn Right (go North) until 8th St. Then turn Left and go west on 8th St. to N. Krohn Place. Turn Left (south) into the parking lot.

From Cliff and E. 10th: Head east to Mable Ave. Turn Left (go north) until 8th St. Then turn right and go east on 8th St. to N. Krohn Place. Turn Right (south) into the parking lot.

Page 6: SDAD Winter Newsletter

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On September 23rd, President George W. Bush signed into law the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), leg-islation that will protect people with disabilities and provide clear definition of disability under the ADA for employers. This Act will become effective as of January 1, 2009.

The law, which was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by voice vote in the House, restores civil rights to Americans with disabilities in the workplace. The legislation also overturns four Supreme Court decisions that have inap-propriately narrowed the protections of the ADA.

The ADA was a sweeping landmark legislation that was

passed in 1990, which was designed to prevent wide-ranging discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of pub-lic programs, services, activities, and public accommoda-tions. Under the ADA, “public accommodations” refers to hotels and other lodging, transportation, education, recre-ation, stores, care providers, and dining. Public entities are required to provide reasonable accommodations to make its services and facilities accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA does not apply to any public place that has fewer than fifteen employees.

President George H. W. Bush participated in the ADAAA signing ceremony that was held in the Oval Office with Members of Congress and some key Congressional staff. The ADAAA was the only bill signing that former President Bush has attended since his son became Commander in Chief eight years ago.

With the passage of the ADAAA, the courts can no lon-ger take into consideration whether any benefits are taken into consideration from hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other technologies in determining whether a person is dis-abled for ADA protections. This means that the courts will go directly to the issue of whether discrimination has taken place and not mull over the question of whether a person has a disability.

ADA Amendments Act Signed into Law

With the new passage, the courts can no longer take into consideration whether any benefits are taken from hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other technologies in determining whether a person is disabled.

By Chrisi Soukup

For over 30 years, CSD has sought to apply new innovations in technology to the way that we provide services to the deaf and hard of hear-ing community. This commitment to enhancing accessibility is the catalyst for the introduction of telecommunications relay services, video-based relay and remote interpreting, and other important initiatives. Two years ago, CSD began developing the blueprint for a uni-versal solution for communications access. The idea was to create a device that would be able to support several different methods of communication—voice, TTY, video, and internet relay. The end result of this effort was a product now known as the PAV (or Public Access Videophone). The PAV is a complete communications solution that allows all deaf and hard of hearing con-sumers to make calls using the method that they are most comfortable with.

One type of customer that CSD has been w o r k i n g closely with is airports. Airports have tens of thousands of people passing through their facilities each day so it makes sense for them to install PAV units to ensure that all custom-ers have access to communication prior to departure and after their flights have arrived. The Sioux Falls airport now has a PAV installed in the main lobby outside of the escala-

tor. For those of you that travel frequently, we encourage you to make a point of using the PAV when you are at the airport. In Sioux Falls, we also have PAVs installed at the SDAD center and in the Simpson and Buckmaster buildings on the CSD main campus.

We would like to invite the community to support CSD by publicizing the availabil-ity of this technology. We need to educate businesses that are unaware of the difference between the PAV and older technologies like TTYs. We believe that TTYs are important—but they do not provide the kind of compre-

hensive access that the PAV creates for a deaf consumer. Together, we can work to provide

information to businesses about the need for cur-rent generation technology like the PAV.

In the coming months, we will be working with deaf schools, deaf clubs, and other local and

national deaf organizations to create a network of PAVs available to consumers. We hope to have

PAVs installed all over the country by the middle of 2009. If you know of a deaf organization that would like to have a PAV installed at their location, please let CSD know by going to this web page: http://www.csdpav.com/inquiry.html. To see a demonstration of the PAV, you can visit this webpage: http://www.csdpav.com/videos.html. Thank you for supporting CSD’s efforts to publicize this exciting new product!

Introducing PAV—A New Communications Solution from CSD

Page 7: SDAD Winter Newsletter

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Joan C. SigdestadJuly 29, 2008

Joan C. Sigdestad, 68, of Sioux Falls, peacefully entered heaven on July 29 at Sanford Hospice after a short, courageous battle with cancer.

Joan worked at Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) in Sioux Falls in various capacities, where she loved the challenge

and was very committed to her job. She was shy of just 20 years of employment with CSD at the time of her death.

It was her dedication and compassion for people that led her to adopt new CSD employees and become their South Dakota mom. She will be remembered for her involvement in the Deaf Community over the years she resided in Sioux Falls.

Joan was a very active member of her church, Peace Lutheran Church, where she was responsible for welcoming new members. Additionally, she has been a loyal South Dakota Association of the Deaf member and supporter for 16 plus years.

She is lovingly remembered by her son, Lance; daughter, Carmen (Jerry) Steen, both of Sioux Falls; her four grand-children, Alec Sigdestad, Paxton, Payton and Braydon Steen. Lance and Carmen both are very active members of the Deaf Community.

Funeral services were held at Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls on Aug. 1 and burial services were held the next day at Bergen Lutheran Cemetery in Bristol, S.D.

Geneva “Gee” Chambers LangeNovember 5, 2008

On Wednesday, November 5th Geneva “Gee” Chambers Lange passed away after a massive stroke, with her family by her side. She was 80.

Gee was a native Tennessean who attended and graduated from the Tennessee School for the Deaf (TSD). Gee met and fell

in love with Bob Lange a native of South Dakota at Gallaudet University. They eventually got married and had four children.

They made frequent trips to South Dakota to attend SDAD Conferences and visit Bob’s relatives. Bob graduated from the South Dakota School for the Deaf in 1945.

Gee is survived by her husband, Bob of 57 years, two daughters, Wendy and Camy, two sons, Andy and his wife, Kelly and Billy and his wife, Amy as well as four grand chil-dren: Eric (and his mother, Andy’s former wife, Sue), Brooke, Kyle, and Katie Jude.

A memorial service was held on the beach off the A Street ramp at 2:30 pm on Saturday, November 8, 2008. Gee’s favorite color was blue. Many people who attend the memorial service wore something blue in memory of Gee.

Donations can be made to: Geneva Lange Fund, c/o TSD Athletic Association, Dick Henley, AD, 2725 Island Home Blvd., Knoxville, TN 27920.

The members of SDAD and the Deaf Community all across South Dakota express condolences to the Lange family on the loss of their loved one.

Obituaries

to the deaf community. She served as President of SDSD for ten years. She was re-elected as the treasurer at the 2007 SDAD Conference. Additionally, she has participated in a number other orga-nizations, including the International Catholic Deaf Association of the Deaf, Deaf Seniors of South Dakota, National Fraternal Society of the Deaf Division #74, and the South Dakota Interpreter Network Coalition (now known as the South Dakota Interpreter Association, Inc.). Souhrada has served, at one time or another, as an officer of the said orga-nizations. She has been an active and loyal SDAD member for 28 years.

Souhrada graduated from SDSD in 1967. She attended Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University) for two years. She returned to South Dakota and became a dorm supervisor for the primary children at SDSD.

The induction banquet and cere-mony drew a fairly good crowd. Both

Larson and Souhrada had a good num-ber of family members and friends attend to witness them being inducted into the hall of fame. Larry Puthoff was the emcee for the evening. As usual, the good jokes he shared throughout the evening added more flavor to the meal and program. Rev. Matthew Nix gave the invocation before the attendants enjoyed a good meal. Following dinner, Willard Schumack, SDAD Hall of Fame chair, gave opening remarks prior to the induction of Larson and Souhrada. Door prizes were a part of the program and there were six individuals who went home happily after their names were drawn for one of the door prizes.

The program concluded with Ben Soukup, CSD CEO and Jennifer Willey, SDAD President giving some inspiring closing remarks.

Thanks and appreciation goes out to the SDAD Hall of Fame commit-tee members, Willard Schumack, Kevin Barber, Tom Kober James Still, Mark Johnson, and Jennifer Willey for the

time and energy they put into organiz-ing a successful event.

Whenever an event where a mix-ture of deaf and hearing people are present, sign language interpreters have an important role of assuring there’s a smooth flow of communication between the two groups. Christa Gunderson and Marlee Dyce were the interpreters for the evening. The SDAD Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony would not have been as successful with-out their professional service.

The SDAD Hall of Fame traditionally opens its doors every other year in four cat-egories – Arts, Community Service, Education and Sports (ACES).

Nominations can be submitted to the SDAD Hall of Fame committee. It is an oppor-tunity to recognize people who have made contribution to the Deaf community. The hall of fame ceremony is also a celebration of South Dakota’s deaf history and culture.

Hall of Fame, continued from page 1

Answer: Kathy Gelling was about two years old and living in an apartment in Andover, SD. It was July 4th and the morn-ing was already hot, so her mother set up the tub. The dog in the picture was a neighbor’s and came over out of curiosity.

Page 8: SDAD Winter Newsletter

102 N. Krohn PlaceSioux Falls, S.D. 57103

December 2008

6 SDAD Bingo 8 & 9 pm

13 SDDS Holiday Dinner 5:30 pm SDAD SFingo 8 & 9 pm

14 SDAD Holiday Party 11:30 am – 3:30 pm

20 SFAD Potluck 5:30 PM SFAD Meeting 7:00 pm SDAD Banknite 7:30/8:30/9:30 pm

27 SDAD T Night

January 2009

3 SDAD Bingo 8 & 9 pm

10 SDDS Pot Luck 5:30 pm SDDS Meeting 7 pm SDAD SFingo 8 & 9 pm

17 SDFA Meeting 7:00 PM SDAD Board Meeting 2 pm SDAD Banknite 7:30/8:30/9:30 pm

24 SDAD T-Night

31 Open

February 2008

7 SDAD Bingo 8 & 9 pm

14 DDS Meeting 7:00 pm SDAD SFingo 9:00 pm

21 SFAD Meeting 7:00 pm SDAD Banknite 7:30/8:30/9:30 pm

28 SDAD T-Night

U p c o m i n g E v e n t s