Elizabeth English Benson (1904–1972) was an American educator for deaf students who taught at Gallaudet College for two decades before being named Dean of Women there. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

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

Maryland School for the Deaf The Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) offers public education at no cost to deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents between the ages of zero and 21. It has two campuses located in Frederick and Columbia, Maryland. History Prior to the op ...

. She was designated a CODA, 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 and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...

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

Education

Benson earned her B.A. from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

; M.A. from Gallaudet College; 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 volunteers provided support services to help the nation during the war, assisting with message delivery ...

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 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 United S ...

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), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. 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 United States Army, 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 first president o ...

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 curren ...

, 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 Gallaudet University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators Deafness Educators of the deaf Gallaudet University faculty