Alumni Years at CSDR and CSDB/F for Education and Employment
- Jun 12
- 9 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
Alumni employees can be especially valuable to any Deaf school because they understand the unique culture, language, traditions, and experiences of the Deaf community. They inspire the youth of the same ilk to reach their potential.
Below are the retired CSDR alumni employees in the prescribed order based on their total years of education and employment on campus. The first set of years are for school. The second set of years are for work. The total of both is shown at the end in the photo caption. Enjoy the trip down the article and admire the alumni who have contributed, small or big, to the greatness of the school since 1967 when the first alumnus was hired.
The Longest Tenure at CSDR
Kim Cheek, ‘86, earned the distinction as the school’s longest enrolled student with 17 years from 1969 to 1986 (from ages 3 to 20). She was held back for one more year in junior high school because the high school was swarming with the largest student body in the school’s history due to the Rubella epidemic that brought forth thousands cases of deafness nationwide in the mid-1960s.
At the peak of the Rubella epidemic in 1966, Kimberly was born deaf. Her mother knew nothing about how a deaf child could grow up and succeed. She soon found out about the John Tracy Clinic, a special school for deaf toddlers in Los Angeles. The mother subscribed to their philosophy that deaf children should undergo aural and oral rehabilitation for success in a world designed for hearing and speech.
Kim’s father and uncle worked at their father’s feed store for livestock in nearby Pedley. They had a regular customer who bought bales of grass for her horses one block from CSDR. The customer was Eloise Wudadinovich, a Deaf teacher in the elementary department at CSDR. The father admired that Eloise was able to perform daily tasks like everybody else and care for her horses at home.
The father was also impressed that Eloise had a college education (Gallaudet Class of 1949) and held a job as a teacher for Deaf children. He persuaded the mother to forget about the John Tracy Clinic and focus on CSDR, which was within a 15-minute drive. She finally succumbed to common sense.
With her parents present for admission and orientation, Kim met Dr. Brill in his office. For a picture for Kim’s new school folder, Dr. Brill lifted Kim and placed her on his lap. (This is quite a surprise to the school historian as a Brill alumnus that Dr. Brill would do this.) His secretary, Virginia Firth, used a Polaroid camera that released a photo quickly. Upon Kim’s admission in 1969, she was three, one of the youngest at the time. Kim had no clue that she would end up staying as a student for 17 years, a new school record that she still holds since 1986.
Kim then spent 35 years in the residence hall at her alma mater for employment. Kim now enjoys her retirement in Riverside.
Greg Decker, ‘66, is acknowledged as the first fully credentialed alumnus teacher with a master’s degree was hired to teach at CSDR. Greg is also highly revered in the CSDR community for his long affiliation with the school first as a student in 1956 and then a teacher that finally ended in 2012. His combined student and employee year total is 50 years. The teaching span is 40 years altogether as a contractor teacher for 35 years and a sub teacher for the last five years.
Greg is also remembered for his time donation to CSDR through the CSDR Alumni Association. He is recognized for starting the new alumni association in 1983 and was elected president for its first executive board from 1983 to 1988. By all accounts, Greg was a poster boy for CSDR for his dedication to the school for 50 years. Greg is retired and still lives in Riverside.
Trailblazer Rusty Wales
In September 1967, Billy “Rusty” Wales, ’63, earned the distinction of being the school’s first alumnus to be hired for employment on campus. Rusty trailblazed an employment route opened for the next 115 alumni.
In 1956, Rusty transferred to CSDR from Mary E Bennett Oral School (1897-1986) in Los Angeles. He soon embraced the new school for its myriad of school activities that kept the students busy from bed rise to bed time. Further, sign language was a better fit for his free-flowing communication.
After seven years of solid academic progress in 1963, he went on to Gallaudet University for four years, earning a BA in sociology in 1967. A month before his graduation, Rusty saw a job opening for a dorm counselor at CSDR in the Gallaudet Dean of Students’ office. He soon sent the application to Riverside.
After waiting several weeks with no word from CSDR, Rusty accepted a job offer as an assistant to the Vocational Rehabilitation supervisor in Boston. In late August, the VR supervisor received a phone call from Rusty’s father in LA. The father broke the news that CSDR had hired Rusty for employment in the residence hall and requested he reports to duty on the following Monday. At this point, Rusty informed the supervisor that he was going for the new job in Riverside despite the supervisor’s plea for him to stay in Boston.
Rusty hurried home to pack everything into his MG sports car for a continental drive. He drove for 22 hours from Boston to Los Angeles—a quite impressive record for a fast drive across the country. He made it safety.
Later in the week of new employees orientation, Rusty met CSDR Dean of Students Mary Scully for the interview. Mary didn’t know sign language and knew only fingerspelling. She had polio that rendered her left arm and left leg useless. As a result, Rusty and Mary had a brief interview with a few questions. In the end, Mary notified him that he was officially hired and ready to work. As part of the job, he was asked to live in a small apartment in the back of Rubidoux dorm, where he stayed for two years.
In 1969, Assistant Superintendent James Hoxie offered Rusty a part-time teacher aide position to work with Teacher Rudolph Ackerman in the bakery shop adjacent to the dining room on the top of his full-time dorm work. Rudolph needed extra help managing boys’ disruptive behaviors in the shop. Rusty’s help smoothed out the boys under his care. It was at this point Rusty started contemplating a career change to teaching.
One day, Dorm Counselor Little Bob Jackson told Rusty to go to Dr. Brill’s office immediately. During the Brill era (1951-1977), any employee who was asked to see Dr. Brill first wondered, “What did I do wrong?” Rusty mustered his courage and walked straight to the office. Dr. Brill had learned beforehand that Rusty was interested in becoming a teacher and had spoken by phone with Carl Kirchener (a noted educator of the deaf) from CSU Northridge. Dr. Brill and Carl encouraged Rusty to start his graduate studies with five classes (quite a heavy load for a fast-track schedule) in summer 1970. After passing the summer classes, he was issued a provisional credential for his first year of teaching in fall 1970 at CSDR. With the new appointment, Rusty earned another first in the school’s history—the first alumnus teacher.
Meanwhile, Rusty continued to drive 80 miles to CSU Northridge one day a week during fall and spring. Once again, he took a heavy course load for accelerated studies in summer 1971. The good news finally came with the award of a clear state teacher credential for life. He continued to travel to Northridge to work on his master’s degree, which he finally obtained in 1978.
With positive reflections on his 18 years of life at CSDR, Rusty enjoys his well-earned retirement in the Pacific Northwest.
Below is the next group of the CSDR alumni who are still working on campus, starting with the oldest (approaching retirement) and ending with the youngest on the bottom.
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Maryann Izzo, ‘96
1994-1996 and 2011-present
Sara Wnek , ’14? PE teacher
Kevin Wnek , ’08? NA
Joseph Montes, ‘00
Kathryna Baldiviez, ’14
Ryan Baldivez, ’11
Tommy Korn, ‘03
Keith Gamache, ’92
April Getten, ’03
End of compilation…
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