| Deafened at the age of eight, George Veditz entered Maryland School for the Deaf in 1875, served as bookkeeper and secretary to the principal for four years before entering Gallaudet College in 1880. Upon graduating with honors as valedictorian, Veditz returned to MSD to teach for four years before moving to Colorado to join the faculty at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in 1888. George Veditz was an unswerving proponent of The Sign Language and the use of the Combined Method in the education of the deaf, but did not limit his political aspirations to education. He fought tirelessly for employment rights for the deaf, in particular in fighting for change in how the Civil Service Commission classified deaf people. The organizations, both deaf and hearing, George Veditz either established, belonged to, or presided over are too numerous to mention, but his service to the NAD is the most well-known as vice-president, member of the Executive Committee and finally as president. He was a prolific writer as well as editor of numerous publications. His writing proclivity was so well-respected that at his death, his obituary was published in the New York Times and Herald Tribune. In addition to involvement in political affairs, Veditz was a recognized expert in poultry-raising, floriculture, and chess. Significantly, George Veditz was a visionary whose dauntless effort to establish the NAD Motion Picture Fund was the force behind the production of this Gallaudet Lecture Series. |