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Recognizing March 13, 2015 - April 15, 2015 as National Deaf History Month in honor contributions by the deaf and hard of hearing community.
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WHEREAS, The celebration of a Deaf History Month in the United States was first established in 1988. The dates of March 13th - April 15th were chosen to align with three historic events in the deaf community. On March 13, 1988, Gallaudet University, the only university in the world exclusively for deaf students, selected their first deaf president, I. King Jordan; on April 8, 1864 President Lincoln signed the charter establishing a college for the deaf, Gallaudet University; and on April 15, 1817, The American School for the Deaf, the first school for the deaf in the America, was established in Hartford, CT; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jay Basch, who is deaf since birth, has had an impressive career and has made significant contributions to the scientific community despite the lack of supports available during his educational career; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jay Basch graduated from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 1948. Despite the lack of technological and human aids that are prevalent in today's deaf and hearing communities, such as closed captioning and text messaging, he went to a mainstream high school at Friends Select School. Then he earned a BA in Zoology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1956; and
WHEREAS, Upon graduation from college he began working for the United States Department of Agriculture as a chemist in the Animal Protein Pioneering section at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor PA. He went on to earn a MS in Chemistry from Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) in 1960 and a PhD in Biological Chemistry from Temple University in 1968; and
WHEREAS, During his career, helped to pioneer and establish the radioisotope laboratory at the ERRC. Dr. Basch has authored more than 50 scientific publications and participated in numerous national and international scientific meetings where he presented papers and posters. After 41 years of service he retired in 1997; and
WHEREAS, In addition to an impressive professional career Dr. Basch has also been very committed to giving back to the deaf and hard of hearing community. In June 1974, he was the first deaf board member for the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. He has served as the President of their board and continues to serve as an emeritus board member; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Basch has been demonstrating to the both the deaf and hard of hearing community, as well as the larger community, that it is the ability that counts, not the disability; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Celebrates Deaf History Month by honoring the many significant contributions made by Dr. Jay Basch to both the scientific and deaf community.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Jay Basch, as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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