History of the NYS School for the Deaf
New York State School for the Deaf:
An insight into the history of our school 
(81.84MB)
1800s
Summer 1874 - Mr.
Alphonso Johnson, a deaf graduate of
the New York Institution for the Deaf and a teacher there for some time,
came to Rome to establish a school. Mr. Johnson was assisted by Dr. Thomas
Gallaudet, who later became a trustee of the school.
March 22, 1875 - The initial building, a rented house at 107 North Madison Street (now 515 North Madison Street) was formally opened, with an attendance of four pupils. Mr. Johnson was both principal and teacher.
September 1, 1875 - The first academic year of the school, then called the Central New York Institution for Deaf-Mutes, begins with Mr. Johnson as principal.
September 1, 1876 - Mr.
Edward Beverly Nelson, a graduate
of Harvard and for several years a teacher at the New York Institution,
assumed the principalship.
1878 - Enrollment had reached nearly 100 pupils necessitating the ground breaking for additional permanent buildings.
1879 - The boys’ building was completed.
1881 - The girls’ building was completed.
1887 - The Legislature of New York State appropriated a $40,000 grant to the Institution for the construction of the main building (later named Gallaudet Hall); a hospital; a boiler house; and a principal’s residence.
January 7, 1890 - The main building was occupied for the
first time.
1900s
August 1, 1909 - Mr. Nelson retired as principal and was succeeded by Mr. Elbert A. Gruver, a graduate of Pennsylvania College.
August 1, 1919 - Mr. Gruver resigned as principal of the
Institution to accept the Superintendency at the Iowa School for the Deaf
and was succeeded by Mr. Otis Allen Betts, a teacher for 13 years at the
Institution.
1931 - The school name was changed to become the Central New York School for the Deaf.
August 1, 1936 - Mr. Betts retired as principal of the
school and was succeeded by Mr. John Butler
Hague, who at the time was Chief
of the Special School’s Bureau, State Education Department, Albany, New
York.
December 20, 1946 - Mr. Hague retires. Mr. Fred Sparks, Jr., was appointed acting principal.
January 20, 1947 - The position of principal was changed
to that of Superintendent, and Mr. Sparks was appointed to the position,
which he held until his resignation in 1961.
1961 - Mr. Charles G. Rawlings, a former principal at the school, was named Superintendent.
July 1, 1963 - By act of State Legislature,
the school becomes a state facility with powers transferred from a corporation
to the jurisdiction of the State Education Department and the Board of Regents.
The name of the school was changed to the
New York State School for the Deaf.
May 1965 - Mr. Rawlings resigned as Superintendent.
August 1965 - Mr. J. Jay Farman, who had been serving as headmaster of the Austine School in Vermont, was appointed Superintendent.
Fall 1965 - Plans began for the development of a new school
campus. With a multimillion-dollar appropriation from the State Legislature,
construction was begun on the preprimary building.
September 1967 - Preprimary building occupied.
October 1967 - The Superintendent’s residence was completed.
1969 - The dormitory-infirmary complex was completed.
September 1971 - The administration-education complex completed.
1972 – 1975 - Landscaping of school grounds and the development
of outdoor recreation and athletic facilities.
1978 - Mr. Farnam retired as Superintendent and Dr. Andrew Rossetti serves as Acting Superintendent until the appointment of Mr. Robert Seibold who served from 1978 to 1980.
1980 - Dr. Rossetti again served as Acting Superintendent.
June 15, 1981 - Mr.
Philip E. Cronlund is appointed as
Superintendent.
August 1999 - Mr. Cronlund retires and Mr.
Dana Chapman,
Head of the Secondary Educational Department, serves
in the position of Acting Superintendent.
2000s
August 2000 - 2004 - Ms. Nancy Clark was appointed to the position of Superintendent. Ms. Clark made NYSSD history as being the first female Superintendent at NYSSD.
August 2004 - Mr. Greg Carey was appointed as Interim Superintendent.
December 2005 - Ms. Carriann Ray was appointed to the
position of Superintendent.
September 2012 - Mr. Daniel Roberts was appointed to the position of Interim Superintendent.
March 2013 - Mr. Clifford Moses was appointed as Interim Superintendent.
August 2013 - Mr. David Hubman was appointed to the position of Superintendent.