Every old-timer tells me the same thing over and over about a particular teacher who threw a special spell on the students in her English classroom from 1953 to 1976. The curtain call falls on Miss Madeline Musmanno. Among her colleagues and older alumni, she went by her nickname, Mussy.
Mussy joined the pioneer faculty for the brand-new school that opened only a semester earlier in 1953. She had taught for 17 years at the New Jersey School for the Deaf. Dr Brill’s father, Tobias, was the high school principal and supervised Mussy. With Tobias’ recommendation, Dr Brill hired Mussy. She headed west to Riverside for new life and opportunities.
Mussy’s first problem at CSDR was that Upper School Principal Miss Alyce Thomas needed to assign a teacher to teach English and a other teacher to teach mathematics. Lawrence Newman, also a new transplant from the New York School for the Deaf at Rome, had taught English and wanted to continue the same subject at the new Riverside school. He had a master’s degree in English Literature from the Catholic University of America. Miss Thomas let Mussy and Larry work out a compromise.
Mussy explained that she was no expert in mathematics and had teaching experience with English at NJSD. Larry, too, had teaching experience with English at NYSD. Both Mussy and Larry had a strong desire to teach the subject, but only one would get it. In the end, Mussy got her wish. Larry grudgingly took Math for his subject matter to teach full-time. He had to review math lessons ahead of time for students. Carl Barber (his close Gallaudet pal) offered to tutor him after school to stay ahead of students.
Ralph “Rick” Fertig was a long-time teacher with 40 years of service from 1969 to 2009. He was noted for his exceptional IQ score of 140. His English was amazing and impeccable. He told me that Mussy was one of the top three intellectuals at CSDR he enjoyed talking with. The other two were Dr Brill and Dr Larry Newman.
Old-timers noticed that Mussy had her favorite friends to hang out on campus for recess, lunch and after-work social times. Her circle included Miss Teddy Kubotsu, Miss Pat Kitchen and Miss Lucy Lewis, all of whom also worked there.
Alumni from the Class of 1956 to the Class of 1976 have many accounts of Mussy.
Joe McRoberts, ‘72, takes pride in getting an A in English from Mussy. It was rare for her to award the top letter grade. He made it to her honor roll.
Jeff Lubman, ‘75, learned the hard way when she caught him fixing his score. She issued a D for his report card. He regretted his action and knew not to make a mess with her. He had a happy ending with her when she congratulated him for his admission to Gallaudet. Mussy is in the Gallaudet Class of 1935.
Scott Kramer, ‘69, had a word of caution for anybody for a class with Mussy - don’t dare to challenge her. Follow her rules at all times. He remembers writing postcards to his parents every Monday and poems. He enjoyed looking at Mussy drive her 1956 Chevrolet across campus.
Bill Ramborger, ‘62, ranked Mussy as his all-time favorite teacher. He also saw her as his mother. When he visited the President JFK’s grave at the Arlington National Cemetery, he was surprised to see Mussy’s brother, Michael being buried nearby.
Marlon Branton, ‘72, had Mussy for two years. What he remembers remarkably was her insistence to place zip code exactly where on the envelopes and postcards. The zip code had to be on the same line where city and state were written.
Mark McCrory, ‘62, had a class with Mussy for three years. She was strict and good teacher. She could be a short fuse if he goes in another direction. Mark was a big athletic guy, but he chose to stay in line. Everything will be fine.
In the late 1980s, Mussy moved to Pennsylvania, where she grew up, to take care of her older sister. In 1992, she died at 80. She is buried in Pittsburgh. Although she is no longer among us, she stays transfixed in our psyche forever.
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