Evening star., 1942-09-17
f.'percivaI Hall, TO,
GaMaudet President,
Feted on Birthday
Roosevelt Sends Message
To Banquet Honorine
50 Years of Service

Fifty years after he first became
interested in the education of the
deaf and first came to Gallaudet
College to prepare himself, DR.. Per-
cival Hall, president of the school
since 1910, was honored last night at
banquet marking his 10th birthday
anniversary.
Among the many congratulatory
messages received was one from
President Roosevelt, praising Dr.
Hall for his efforts to make those
anicted by deafness happier and
more useful citizens" The letter
from the President, read by Frederic
A. Delano to the $50 friends and as
sociates OF DR.. Hall who attended
the banquet at the Dodge Hotel, said
in part:
II am glad to express my con-
eratulations.
Roosevelt Pays Tribute.
'Your graduation at Harvard In
1892 is bond Of sympathy, but what
interests me most is that you have
served the people who are deaf, or
partly deaf, for so years. We all
hear lot of the underprivileged,
but say take my hat off to those
who try to make their lives pleas
anter, or who, by research and in
telligent investigation, have made
those underprivileged people happier
and more useful citizens"
Dr.. Halls career at Gallaudet was
termed, in q letter from Federal
Security Administrator McNutt, "a
significant milestone in our social
and educational history"
II had followed your work
through the years. Mr.. McNutt
wrote. conscious all the while that
your achievements In this very spe-
cialized and extraordinarily useful
1leld were multiplying. In recent
years !" I have come to un-
derstand the reason for the repu-
tation you have, and the esteem in
which you are held, not only by
your associates and students, but by
the many thousands all over the
country who follow the work Of the
Columbia Institution for the Deaf"
Message From Founders Kin.
A congratulatory message also
was received from Miss Katherine
Gallaudet, daughter Of DR.. Edward
Miner Gallaudet, founder and flrst
president of the college. Unable to
attend the banquet honoring the
second president Callaudet has had
In its 10 years Of existence as the
advanced school Of the Columbia
Institution, Miss Gallaudet sent in
her place Edmund Boatner, super
intendent Of the American School
for the Deaf at West Hartford,
Conn.
DR.. Hall was born In Georgetown.
His parents were teachers. After
his graduation from Harvard, he be-
came interested In making life fuller
for those handicapped by deafness
and attended Gallaudet for . year.
After this he taught for two years
at the Washington Heights School
for the Deaf In New York, then re-
turned, as q mathematics instructor
to Gallaudet, where he has remained
ever since. In 1910 he became the
colleges second president.
DR.. and Mrs. Hall were presented
with silver serving set by the Gal
laudet College Alumni Association
and with an easy chair and reading
lamp by Normal Training students
of the Maryland State School for
the Deaf.
Honored by Student.
DR.. Hall also was presented with
IS red and IS white roses on behalf
Of the present student body by Laura
Knight and Byron Baer, in cere-
mony patterned after that held on
DR.. Gallaudet's 10th birthday.
Congratulatory messages also were
delivered by Albert Rose, for the
local alumni chapter; Frederick H.
Hughes, for the national alumni;
Lloyd H. Johnson. business manager
Of the Columbia Institution, for the
administrative employees OF the
school; DR.. U. G. B. Pierce, for the
Board of Directors; Dean Irving S.
Fusfeld, for the faculty and depart
ment of research; Prof. Sam B.
Craig, for the normal training de-
partment; Miss Helen Fay, for the
Kendall School; DR.. Ignatius Bjor-
lee, for the Conference Of Executives
Of American Schools for the Deal;
Or. Elizabeth Peet, for the Conven-
ton Of American Instructors Of the
Deaf; Miss Josephine Timberlake,
for the Volta Bureau; Roy j. Stew
art, for the National Association Of
the Deaf; Edward w. Harmon. for
the National Fraternal Society Of
the Deaf; Heimo Antina, for the
Kappa Gamma Fraternity, founded
by Dr. Hall, and Mrs. Olaf Hanson,
for the OWLS, girls honor society
at GallAudet.
At the close Of the ceremonies 1.-THE
Star spangled Banner" was pre-
sented In the sign language by Mrs.
Roy ]. Stewart, interpreted by Prof
Elizabeth Z. Benson and Prof. Will
liam J. Mcclure, with Prof. Ruth
Remsbere at the piano.