Elizabeth English Benson (1904–1972) was an American educator for deaf students who taught at

Gallaudet College Gallaudet University ( ) is a private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the Hearing loss, deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a gramma ...

for two decades before being named Dean of Women there. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she temporarily joined the military so she could help newly deafened soldiers injured in the war. Later she was an occasional interpreter for two U.S. presidents.

Life and work

Benson was born September 5, 1904, in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

to deaf parents, Harry and Minnie Benson, who worked at the nearby

Maryland School for the Deaf The Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) provides free public education to deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents of age 0 to 21 years. Maryland School for the Deaf has two campuses in Frederick and Columbia, Maryland. History The school was ...

. She was designated a

CODA Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

, child of deaf adults. Out of necessity, she learned

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

from an early age to communicate with them. At two, she was pictured with her sister and parents in the popular deaf newspaper, ''

The Silent Worker ''The Silent Worker'' was a newspaper published in the United States serving the deaf community. Originally published in 1888 as the ''Deaf Mute Times'', the paper was renamed that year to ''The Silent Worker''. The paper was published monthly fr ...

'' (May 1906, vol. 18, no. 8), which regularly featured "typical children of deaf parents."

Education

Benson earned her B.A. from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

; M.A. from

; honorary doctorate from Gallaudet, 1962; LL.B. from George Washington School of Law.

Teaching

She joined the faculty at Gallaudet in 1926 to teach graduate students audiology and lipreading and then became a regular faculty member. In 1950, she succeeded Dr. Elizabeth Peet as the Dean of Women and remained there until her retirement in 1970 after 44 years of service to the Gallaudet. On her own, she taught in Virginia,

Wartime service

With the call to service during

, Benson left the university temporarily to join the

American Women's Voluntary Services American Women's Voluntary Services (AWVS) was the largest American women's service organization in the United States during World War II. AWVS provided women volunteers who provided support services to help the nation during the war such as mess ...

and, then the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

where she could "provide support and resources to newly deafened soldiers." Even after the war and her return to the Gallaudet faculty, Benson sometimes acted as an interpreter for influential figures in Washington, D.C., including Presidents

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. Around the same time, she decided to earn a law degree "so that she might better serve deaf people in the courtroom." Benson died in Frederick on December 13, 1972.

Legacy

* Benson was inducted as a member of the Gallaudet College Hall of Fame (date unknown) * Gallaudet University's first co-ed dormitory on campus, built in 1972, was named in her honor. * Barracks at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

were named in her honor in 2014. * The Elizabeth Benson Scholarship Award by

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc (RID) is a non-profit organization founded on June 16, 1964, and incorporated in 1972, that seeks to uphold standards, ethics, and professionalism for American Sign Language interpreters. RID is current ...

, was named in her honor.

Selected works

* Benson, E. E. (1920). ''Systematic gymnastics: an aid to speech'', Gallaudet College. * Benson, E. E. (1932). ''A survey of the occupations of the graduates and ex-students of Gallaudet College''. *Benson, E. E., Young, J. P., & Virginia State School. (1954). ''Virginia State College summer study program for teachers of the deaf: Report''. Hampton, Va. *Benson, E. E. (1958). ''The language of signs''. (Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified.) *Benson, E. E., & St. Paul Technical-Vocational Institute. (1964). ''Sign language''. St. Paul, Minn.: Technical Vocational Institute. (book)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Elizabeth English 1904 births 1972 deaths People from Frederick County, Maryland 20th-century educators Gallaudet University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century women educators Deafness Educators of the deaf