As long as we have deaf people on earth, we will have signs. And as long as we have our films,
we can preserve signs in their old purity. It is my hope that we all will love and guard our
beautiful sign language as the noblest gift God has given deaf people.”
Technologically savvy, he sent a diplomatic letter to Alexander Graham Bell on February 10,
1915. “I wonder if you could be induced to turn your attention to a sort of television that will do for the
eye what the telephone does for the ear.”
Bell was uninterested in developing a videophone. It took nearly a century for technology to
catch up with Veditz’s vision.
He also corresponded with Thomas A. Edison about the practicality of television (a new invention
whose commercial prospects were unpromising), and, only eight months before his death, wrote a
fascinating essay mentioning the prospect of persuading Hollywood to open-caption its movies.
George Veditz died on March 12, 1937, age 75, knowing that his work was still unfinished.
In Colorado Springs’ Evergreen Cemetery, there is only a simple Slab over the Veditzes’
gravesite. No physical monuments – busts or statues – have been set up, but Veditz’s memory is
honored in the community in art, stories, books, and video. MSD’s Veditz Vocational Building was
dedicated in 1975. Gallaudet University named its repository of vintage ASL films the “Veditz Collection”
in the mid-1980s. American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA)’s Veditz Chapter (Northern
Virginia), first met in 1992. The annual George Veditz ASL Festival, sponsored by Northeastern
University’s ASL Program, was launched in 1997. Veditz’s indelible imprint remains on his schools and
the associations he founded. He continues to inspire and encourage us. Although the battle continues,
the old warrior, undaunted, still marches by our side.
This biographical sketch, by Matthew S. Moore and Linda Levitan, is a condensed reprint from DEAF LIFE
(August 2011 issue) with permission. For back-issue and subscription: www.deaflife.com.
Bessie and George Veditz in 1934 At the Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado – Lot #236
Source: https://slideserve.com/rene/george-william-veditz Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10653049/george-william-veditz
The Power of ASL
9
Winter 2017 – Issue 8