Communication barriers for a Deaf PhD student meant risking burnout
Megan Majocha, WPSD Class of 2015, shares her spotlight story article. By Jyoti Madhusoodanan Megan Majocha is gearing up to complete her PhD. But developing a sign-language lexicon to help her succeed took an immense toll during her scientific research. Sign language in science The lack of scientific terms and vocabulary in many of the […]
Honor Ida (Gray) Hampton in Women’s History Month
This month, March GUAA’s commemoration of Women’s History Month, we honor Ida Wynette Gray Hampton, WPSD graduate of 1951 and Gallaudet graduate of 1957, the first Black Deaf woman to graduate from Gallaudet University. Black women were not allowed to attend Gallaudet until the 1950s. That is when Hampton, a Pennsylvania native, enrolled in classes. […]
Gallaudet: Philip Wilmer shares his story
Video created by Gallaudet Division of Student Affairs in Gallaudet University. Philip shares how his grit and perspective led him to never give up on his education. Therapy has been a big tool for him and he “hopes all of you can find your foundation and build from that,” to build towards tour best self […]
Obituary: Donna Ulmer, Class of 1981
Donna Marie Ulmer aged 62 of Wilkinsburg, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, February 22, 2024. She was a beloved daughter to Shirley Y. Scott and James (Blood) Ulmer; beloved sister of Gregory Ulmer (wife Pam), Marcus Scott Ulmer, Michael Ulmer (wife Azaria) and Damu Ulmer; sister to Nisa Brunner and Gia Rae Ulmer; Aunt […]
Kyle D’Amore, Class of 2018 sets new Gally record with his teammates
Note: Kyle D’Amore, WPSD Class of 2018 made the spotlight in the Gallaudet article. Gallaudet men’s indoor track team sets new Distance Medley Relay school record SALEM, Va. – School records continue to fall for the Gallaudet University men’s indoor track and field team as the Bison participated in the Joe LaRocco Invitational here Saturday in […]
Alumni Meeting Minutes: Oct 21, 2023
Alumni Meeting Minutes: October 21, 2023
Obituary: Gary Avery, Class of 1958
The Rev. Gary Avery, 84, of Stoneboro passed away on Nov. 12, 2023, at Quality Life Services of New Castle. Born in New Castle on Sept. 15, 1939, Gary was the son of the late William and Elcetha (Pierce) Avery. On March 28, 1997, Gary married his beloved wife, the former Rebekah Ann Clark. She […]
Ryane selected to Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team
Title: Ryane Smalley selected to United East Women’s Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team LATHAM, N.Y. – Gallaudet University senior defender Ryane Smalley (Nicholson, Pa. and WPSD Class of 2019) was named to the 2023 United East Conference Women’s Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team as announced by the conference office. The United East All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes who epitomize the ideals of sportsmanship. […]
Memoriam: Carol S. Swift, WPSD Teacher
Carol died at her home on Saturday, November 25th. She had been hospitalized for several weeks following surgery. Carol started teaching at WPSD in September 1967 and taught cooking and sewing. She retired from WPSD in 1989. She worked WPSD for twenty-two years. To my knowledge, Carol was currently our oldest living retiree at the […]
Connie and Gregg plaque
WPSD celebrated Connie Stepien and Gregg Bowers at a plaque dedication ceremony at the residence building on Friday, October 20, 2023. WPSD is deeply grateful for their dedication and service to the students in WPSD’s residential program through the decades. Gregg’s famous motto: “Always Remember, and Never Forget, WPSD is #1!!” Those photos below shows where to […]
Alumni General Meeting: Jun 16-17, 2023
Alumni General Meeting Part 1: Friday, June 16, 2023 Alumni General Meeting Part 2: Saturday, June 17, 2023
An evening honoring Connie and Gregg
The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is proud to honor and gratefully remember the work of Connie Stepien and Gregg Bowers within the residential program at the school and the many lives they positively impacted through the years. Please join us on Friday, October 20th 2023 as WPSD unveils a plaque at the Residence that honors […]
Obituary: Frances Overly, Class of 1961
Frances E. (Orange) Overly, age 80, of Penn Township, died on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. She was born on October 11, 1942 in Greensburg, to the late Mike and Veronica (Schultz) Orange. Fran worked at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) for over 30 years, where she was dedicated to assisting the students […]
Obituary: Mary Olszewski, Class of 1962
Mary Jane (Ludwik) Oszewski, WPSD 1962 Graduate passed away on August 2, 2023. Nn obituary is not available at this time for Mary Jane Olszewski. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. To send flowers to the family or plant a treein memory of Mary Jane Olszewski, please visit […]
Support Matt Hoffer and Hollie (Lewis) Culley
As some of you may or may not know, my brother, Matt Hoffer, WPSD Class of 1998, and his girlfriend, Hollie (Lewis) Culley, WPSD Class of 2000 welcomed another baby girl on Thursday June 8, 2023. She was only out of the hospital for a little over a day before needing to be readmitted. She […]
WPSDAA Executive Board Members 2023-2026
Not Pictured: Tony Dumblosky, Class of 1999. PRESIDENTDarrin Majocha, Class of 1983 1ST VICE-PRESIDENTSteven Fochtman, Class of 1981 2ND VICE-PRESIDENTTony Dumblosky, Class of 1999 SECRETARY – to be announced TREASURERTodd Langer, Class of 1990 TRUSTEESTracey Marchese, Class of 1985Lisa Begley, Class of 1983Jamie Kitchen, Class of 1994 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Paul Blahut, Class of 1987Irene Hearn, Class of 1959David […]
2023 Alumni Reunion Photo Gallery
In the picture, 75 headcount of members as alumni association came to WPSD for 37th Triennial Alumni Reunion on Friday, June 16th and 17th to reunite their classmates, family and friends. 206 photos poured in our Google Photos album, for cherish of your time and enjoy viewing. Happy Father’s Day!
TribLive: Signs of the Times
Story by JOANNE KLIMOVICH HARROPPhotos by SHANE DUNLAPTribune-Review June 11, 2023 Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series on residency at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children. Interviews were done with the help of an interpreter. Many students’ last names have been omitted at […]
WPSDAlumni.org site is moving!
WPSD Alumni website is moving to new hosting provider today for enhanced security and performance. The theme design layout remains same, You will notice some differences on the website.
Obituary: Jerry Bush, Class of 1969
Jerry L. Bush, 74, of Kernersville, NC, passed away at home on May 26, 2023 after a short illness. He was surrounded by his family as he passed. Jerry was born on February 14, 1949 to Warren and Hazel Bush in Roaring Springs, PA. After Jerry graduated from Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in […]
Reminder: Alumni Reunion Early Bird deadline
Just gently reminder that WPSD Alumni Reunion deadline for Early Bird is Friday, May 19, 2023. The price is $60 to avoid the price increase to $70. For more information about Alumni Reunion of registration, accommodations, check the post in our Alumni website. We will make announcements about more detailed information about reunion within six […]
College of Education offers ASL, proposes Deaf studies minor
Note: This post is related to Emily Jo Noschese, WPSD Class of 2005. It’s perhaps not surprising that English and Spanish are the two most-used languages in the United States. But the third? Due to the estimated 11.5 million people in the United States — including 386,000 in Michigan — who are deaf or hard […]
Complaints about WPSD Yearbook changes
If you are trying to open WPSD yearbook in Issuu.com directly from WPSDAlumni.org Yearbook website, You can see the screenshot “Publication access is currently limited”. We received the complaints from our Alumni visitors that they are unable to view the WPSD yearbooks in Issuu.com, the the partner of the web publishing service. We used our […]
Alumni Meeting Minutes: Mar 4, 2023
Alumni Meeting Minutes: March 4, 2023
Honey company with a deaf workforce creates a buzz in Point Breeze
This article is published in Post-Gazette on December 27, 2022. Written by Gretchen McKay Jon Mosholder didn’t set out to be a honey farmer. That was his mom’s dream, when she left her job as a health care consultant to start Bumbleberry Farms 11 years ago. Though Karen Mosholder had just a couple of hives in her […]
WPSD: Pittsburgh’s unique (ASL) signs
This article is published in Post-Gazette on December 23, 2022. You need to subscribe to view this page. Signing with a Pittsburgh accent LAURA MALT SCHNEIDERMAN | PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE DEC. 23, 2022 Val Wojton, deaf since birth, learned sign language at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood. There, the days of the week […]
In Memoriam: Richard Jones Sr.
Note: Richard used to be a Physical Education (PE) Teacher here at WPSD. He was also a track coach for many years. He coached the ESDAA Championship team in two years. Richard Merle Jones Sr., 96, of Big Pool, MD, passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at his home. Born April 24, 1926, in Pittsburgh, […]
Alumni Meeting Minutes: November 19, 2021
Alumni Meeting Minutes: November 19, 2021
Deaf NCI Fellow Wins Awards for Research Presentation
Megan Majocha, WPSD Class of 2015, is featured in the article in NIH Record website. Megan Majocha, a Ph.D. student in tumor biology in the NIH-Georgetown Partnership Program, received a travel scholarship to present her findings at the International Mammalian Genome Society Conference (IMGC) in Vancouver. She works in Dr. Kent Hunter’s Laboratory of Cancer […]
Photo of WPSD Class of 1972 Reunion
WPSD Class of 1972 Reunion hosted 50th anniversary on June 4, 2022 at DoubleTree by Hilton in Cranberry Township to respect their time to bring the memories at WPSD. Front, seating: Victor (Allen) Kibelbek, Robert Cominotti, Richard Guerin, Richard Aust, Allen Talbert and Charles Tasselli. Back, standing: Darlene (Lesley) Nelson, Kathleen (Goehring) Campero, Denise (Woelfel) […]
Deceased: John Williams, Class of 1985
John William, WPSD Class of 1985 was hit by car on June 9th and stayed in hospital for three weeks and died on June 24, 2022. No obituary at this time.
Deaf student becomes first to earn doctorate at UH Mānoa
Emily Jo Noschese is WPSD Alumni – Class of 2005. Emily Jo Noschese is the first deaf student to earn a doctorate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters (CALL) recognizes the recent graduate. “I feel honored,” expressed Noschese. “The linguistics department made this happen and took a […]
Obituary: Blaine Rupprecht (Enrolled)
Note: He enrolled WPSD 1964 till 1970. He is supposed to be WPSD Class of 1973. Blaine David Rupprecht, of Chili, New York, passed away peacefully with his family by his side, after a brief illness, at the age of 68. He was predeceased by his father, Leander Rupprecht, and his brother, Barry Rupprecht. He […]
Obituary: Pauline (Hill) Shay, WPSD staff
Pauline Shay (Hill) She was the beloved mother of 1978 WPSD graduate Robin Shay as well as the mother-in-law to 1972 graduate and former WPSD teacher, Rita Mowl. Rita taught at WPSD in 1976. Polly will always be remembered as a kind sweet loving person who always had a beautiful smile and was always willing to help […]
Obituary: Lawrence McClelland, Class of 1946
Lawrence Merle McClelland, 94, of Brunswick, passed away December 31, 2020. He was born in September 3, 1926 to William and Ruth McClelland in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Lawrence grew up in Barnesbore and attended Pittsburgh School for the Deaf until his graduation in 1946. It was there that he met his wife Winona, with whom […]
Obituary: Jeffrey Yockey, (enrolled)
Note: Jeffrey left WPSD, he is supposed to be part of WPSD Class of 1992. Jeffrey William Yockey 50, Nicholson, died suddenly and painlessly at work on Thursday at Scranton School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children, Venard Road. South Abington Township. He is survived by his husband David Anthony Posner. The couple have been married […]
Obituary: Martin Mitchell (enrolled)
Note: Martin left WPSD in 1978, he is supposed to be part of WPSD Class of 1981. Martin D. Mitchell Sr., of Braddock, was born August 25, 1960, in McKeesport, PA. He was the beloved son of Lawrence and Mae (Brown) Mitchell. He attended school at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood, […]
Obituary: Jeff Watson, WPSD Class of 1981
Jeffrey J. Watson, age 61, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania passed away on Tuesday, November 23, 2021. Jeffrey was born April 16, 1960. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brandtfuneralhome.com for the Watson family. Source: Dignity Memorial
Harry Lang’s book: Turn on the Words!
This article is about of WPSD Alumni, Harry Lang, Class of 1965. His book is published on December 2021. Source: Engagdet: Hitting the Books: The decades-long fight to bring live television to deaf audiences CBS just would not get on board with the rest of America’s broadcast networks. The Silent Era of cinema was perhaps […]
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