09/07/07

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History of the Orlando Club for the Deaf 

This information comes from a flyer produced for the 50th Anniversary Banquet of OCD in 1999, which our current club president was fortunate enough to have kept. 

The banquet was held at the Langford Resort Hotel in Winter Park on Saturday March 27, 1999. The speakers included:  Dave Jarvis, Tim Wata, Ron & Libby Newton, Bobby Rotondi, and Stephen J. Hardy II.  There was also a magic show by Dave the Magician.

The history of the Orlando Club for the Deaf in the early years is not too clear; however, we know it was started in 1949 by a man named Sawley Holmes.

Examination of an old dues book gave some clues to the early years.  OCD opened in Jan 1949 with 11 members; dues were 50 cents per person.  January 1950: 8 members.  June 1954: 16 members.  May 1960: 9 members.  February 1961: 6 members.  February 1962, 14 members.  January 1963, 13 members.  January 1965, 17 members.  These notes show that although the club was small, just a few members, it held together steadily. 

In 1999, Jack Sumner (who was there with Sawley Holmes when the club began) was then the oldest member of the club.  He was also the treasurer in 1966.

In 1959 Walter Hauser moved to Orlando from North Carolina.  At that time OCD did not have regular monthly meetings, was not a formally organized club yet.  He took over and established OCD as a formal club for the deaf with the help of Bill Peace and Jack Sumner.  The small amount of money left in the savings from the previous (unorganized) deaf club was used to help with getting the formal club established.

Walter Hauser was elected the first president of the newly organized/established Orlando Club for the Deaf with a full house of officers.  The by-laws were then set up.  OCD applied for a charter and received the Incorporated (Inc.) papers in 1983.  After this the club had regular, monthly meetings.  The main entertainment was captioned movies, and the ladies served refreshments, led by Jonie Hauser.  Richard Ransom was our Athletic Director and we had basketball and bowling teams.

On March 27, 1999 OCD celebrated its 50th Anniversary - the club became much stronger under the leadership of Walter Hauser, who passed away on November 30, 1998 at the age of 101, and many members remember him fondly as the father of OCD.

Past presidents,  beginning with Walter Hauser in 1966, are:

Walter Hauser            Jan 1966 – Dec 1966
Richard Summers         Dec 1966 – Dec 1967
Walter Hauser            Dec 1967 – Jan 1969
Lawrence Leitson        Jan 1969 – Feb 1975
Gary Tegg                  Feb 1975 – Jan 1976
Sandra Tice                Jan 1976 – Jan 1977
Dorothy Summers        Jan 1977 – Jan 1978
Griffin Crowder            Jan 1978 – Jan 1981
William Cooper           Jan 1981 – Jan 1982
Griffin Crowder            Jan 1982 – Jan 1985
Kevin Cistaro              Jan 1985 – Jan 1986
Griffin Crowder            Jan 1986 – Jan 1987
Timothy Wata             Jan 1987 – Feb 1988
Griffin Crowder            Feb 1988 – Jan 1989
Meg Rood-Sumner       Jan 1989 – Jan 1996
Ronald Newton           Jan 1996 – Mar 2002
Jason Hurdich             Mar 2002 – Jul 2002
Rey Vega                   Jul 2002 – Dec 2002
Debbie Bennett           Jan 2003 – Present