Lawrence Newman (1925-2011)

March 23, 1925, was the first day Larry could breathe on his own after birth.  He could also hear well.  He grew up hearing the Polish language spoken at home in New York.  At the age of five, Larry suffered several nasty ear infections, and surgery was necessary.  During the surgery, the surgeon, unfortunately, cut the ear nerve by mistake.  This left him with permanent partial facial paralysis on one side of his face as well as profound deafness.  This event threw him into the uncharted territory of silence, all new to him.

PS 47, the famed school for the deaf opened in 1908 in New York City. The new school name is now the American Sign Language and English Secondary School.

Larry learned, step by step, what it meant to be deaf through his enrollment at New York’s Public School (PS) 47, a K-8 school for the DHH, in 1931.  He soon transferred to the famed Lexington School for the Deaf in the same city.  At the time, the school practiced oralism.  Larry had no problem speaking English before his surgery, but he now needed to learn how to read lips.

The other well-known school for the deaf in New York, opened in 1864.

Eventually, Larry and all the other boys were transferred to a new military school for the deaf at White Plains, best known as Fanwood School.  There, he met a new friend who later became his best and life-long friend, Bernard Bragg. 

The New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, fondly known as the Fanwood, opened in 1831.

In 1943, Larry began his five-year studies at then Gallaudet College, which proved to be a fertile ground for ASL and Deaf culture.  He also met his wife, Betty. It is well-established that Gallaudet is a great place to find a future spouse.   In 1948, he completed his BA degree coursework. 

Larry led an active student life at Gallaudet from 1943 to 1948. He made many friends that lasted decades after college. He also met his future wife, Betty.

Larry decided to stay in school to pursue an MA in English Literature at the Catholic University of America, three miles from Gallaudet.   In 1950, both Larry and Betty completed their degree work and got teaching jobs at the New York School for the Deaf in Rome.

In 1953, Dr. Brill traveled across the country to find new teachers for the brand-new school in Riverside. He stole seven teachers (including Larry and Betty) from a single school in Rome.  At the new school, Larry was among the few deaf teachers in its first whole school year. He soon became a popular teacher. 

Larry and Betty agreed to move west to California where a brand new school opened in Riverside a few months beforehand. Betty grew up at the California School for the Deaf at Berkeley. In 1953, Larry was among five deaf faculty members for the entire school with 225 students.

In 1968, Larry appeared on black-and-white TV to be selected as the annual California Teacher of the Year, beating thousands of teacher applicants.

Out of 180,000 K-12 teachers in the state, Larry Newman was selected to receive the annual California Teacher of the Year award in 1969 for his exemplary teaching and being a role model for deaf students.

In 1972, Larry got a teaching job at Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana in the DHH unit.  Taft School was the birthplace of SEE, a new and controversial method of manually signing English.   In 1974, Larry was promoted to the program's principal.  

After six years away from CSDR for the principalship for Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana, he returned to the familiar surroundings at CSDR in 1978. He was appointed to the highest administrative position ever given to a deaf person as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. At right is Nancy Lopez as the secretary for 33 years in the same office.

In 1978, Larry returned to CSDR with administrative experience and served as Assistant Superintendent, leading the school's instruction.  It was a moment of celebration that the number two administrator at the school was deaf, a giant step for deaf leadership. 

Two of Larry Newman’s former students sit on Larry’s memorial bench outside the Social Hall. At left is Fred Gravatt, ‘69 and at right, is Edward Ewald, ‘70.

In 1988, after 38 years of teaching and administration, Larry retired from Deaf Education.

With his extra free time in retirement, he pursued his passion for reading and writing. He penned hundreds of articles on Deaf Education and communication. He also authored two books: Sands of Time - NAD Presidents 1880 to 2003 and I Fill This Small Space - the Writings of a Deaf Activist.

From the 1970s through the 2000s, Larry traveled far and wide to give presentations on communication philosophy, the LRE for proper school placement, and deaf education.   He also wrote extensively for publication in professional journals and magazines on the same topics.   In addition to his work and presentations, he held leadership positions in deaf organizations at the state and national levels.  He served four years as president of the National Association of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000.

For his outstanding leadership and advocacy, Larry received numerous awards from various organizations. Gallaudet University conferred an honorary degree of letters in 1978 in recognition of his extensive advocacy efforts as an educator and a writer.

Larry and Betty had five children (Warner, Rochelle, Laureen, Mitchell, and Carol, ‘86) and their children

When Larry was not working on behalf of the deaf, he loved to watch sports on TV at home.  When his daughter, Carol, '86, played league basketball for four years, he attended every home game out of love for his daughter and the sport.  

When Larry had the chance, he stepped outside for a few swings on the sprawling campus with green grass everywhere. He played golf with many buddies including his best friend, Carl Barber. He participated in deaf golf tournaments. His golf club and trophies are in both the Larry Newman Room and the museum.

Larry had a particular fondness for golf.  He practiced his swings on campus and played golf with buddies at local golf courses.

Larry and Betty thanked Gallaudet for their discovery of each other in 1946. They married for 61 years before he died in 2011.

On July 4, 2011, Larry breathed for the last time.  He was 86 and was survived by Betty, his wife of 61 years, and five children: Warner, Rochelle, Laureen, Mitchell, and Carol

In the course of 73 years at CSDR, Larry Newman has become the seventh person to be named and honored for a room or building on campus.   This room is a fitting tribute to his dedication to teaching, given that he taught for 19 years in high school, and is in proximity to his former math classroom.

From left to right: Carol, ‘86, Mitchell, Rochelle, Laureen and Superintendent April McArthur

Larry has been gone from his family and the deaf community. Still, he will never be forgotten for his untold hundreds of contributions to making the deaf community a better place.   The Larry Newman Room is a fitting honor for our CSDR hero.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA

Editor, CSDR Old Times

2 May 2026

The gathering of deaf educators for a visit at the Newman’s home. Sitting: Larry, Betty, Bummy Burstein. Standing: Kevin and Paul Ogden from CSU Fresno. Circa 2008