N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r - 1 9 9 6
School's
Museum Carries |  Lars Larsen |
Visitors come from all over the world. Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing
people make their way to the large rooms above the cafeteria at the New
Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, to see one of the nation's finest
deaf history museums.
They find a collection of artifacts and photographs dedicated to
preserving a memory of the past. They also learn something of the long and
proud history of deaf people.
Esperanz Corea-Latimer, 1936 NMSD graduate, is curator of the museum. And
perhaps she was the first person to learn one of its important lessons.
As Latimer put together information for the museum, she learned that
Wesley Connor, the school's second superintendent, had helped oust Lars
Larson the school's first superintendent and founder, and tried to erase
Larson's name from the school's history.
"I had seen Larson's name engraved over the gym," said Latimer. "But I
didn't know anything about him. Neither did anyone else."
She did know Connor though. She had been a student at NMSD when when he
was superintendent and she could remember how he used to play Santa Claus
at Christmas.
"I was disgusted to learn what he did," she said.
According to school records, Connor helped oust Larson for one reason:
Larson was deaf and he did not speak.
Ressurecting a History
Larson: Deaf Founder
In 1885, Lars Larson
and his wife, Belle, began teaching deaf children in a small adobe house
in Santa Fe. Both Lars and Belle were deaf. They were the first teachers
of deaf children in the western territory of New Mexico.
Larson and Belle had grown up in the eastern United States. Larson was a
graduate of Gallaudet College, in Washington, D.C. He was well known in
the deaf community, having helped to found both the National Association
of the Deaf and the Wisconsin Association of the Deaf. In 1885, he
travelled west to open a school for deaf students.
Larson used his own money to open the school. There were six students in
his first class. In 1887, he convinced New Mexico's lawmakers to make his
school a state school. NMSD became the first public school in New Mexico.
But Larson could only feel partly successful. Despite the law, the state
did not give Larson enough money for books, food, maintenance, or supplies
for his students.
Further the lawmakers complained when Larson accepted Indian students.
Larson defended his decision: "We're all Americans," he wrote. For 19
years, he struggled to make the school a success. One of his students
graduated and was accepted at Gallaudet University.
His undoing was carried out by a fellow teacher.
Connor: Right Place, Wrong Time
|
Wesley Connor was
hearing and a graduate of the teacher training program at Gallaudet. He
grew up at Georgia School for the Deaf where his father was
superintendent. He taught in schools for the deaf in Minnesota,
Washington, and Iowa. Connor believed in oralism--teaching deaf students
through speech and lipreading, without using sign language.
In 1902, he travelled west with his wife and visited Larson's school.
Larson treated them as honors guests. He didn't know that Larson's wife
and mother-in-law went to visit the school's governing board without
telling him.
As a result, the board decided Connor would replace Larson as
superintendent. Larson and his family had 24 hours notice to get out of
the school. The board explained its decision, stating its "...need of a
superintendent... who is not hampered in his intercourse with the outside
world by inability to speak."
|  NMSD Today |
Larson, quite bitter, moved to Minnesota where he lived for the rest of
his life.
NMSD Today--Full Circle?
"I felt insulted when I learned the history," said Latimer. "It was like
deaf people didn't matter at all."
Latimer herself has known six NMSD superintendents, beginning with Connor,
#2, through Ken Brasel, #5, whose efforts led to setting up the deaf
history museum for the 100 year celebration of the school in 1987, to
Madan Vasishta, #7, the current superintendent.
Vashista, the first superintendent since Larson to be deaf, looked at the
photograph of Larson that is displayed in the museum's entrance.
"Yes, I think about
him," he said.
"We've come full
circle."
Comments concerning this story may be sent to: cmcarroll@gallua.gallaudet.edu
Comments concerning this web page may be sent to: ISCS.ClercCenter@gallaudet.edu
Last modified November 20, 1996
Copyright © 1995-96, All Rights
Reserved
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
 |
Gallaudet University 800 Florida Ave. NE Washington, DC 20002-3695 |