Remembering former faculty members Lillie S. Ransom and Edward Marshall Wick

The Gallaudet community mourns the recent loss of two alumni who dedicated their lives and careers to helping the Deaf community. Both Lillie S. Ransom, G-’79, and Edward Marshall Wick, ’62, returned to campus as professors, helping teach and mentor students for decades. Their colleagues and other loved ones share memories of these remarkable individuals.

Dr. Lillie S. Ransom, G-’79, a Professor Emerita who taught Communication Studies and served as a faculty fellow in the Office of the Provost, died Oct. 11, 2025 from complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. The 70-year-old dedicated her life to Deaf education and causes, and was the first Black woman to serve as President of the Maryland School for the Deaf’s Board of Trustees. “Her entire life’s focus was on helping others,” says Ransom’s life partner, Teena M. Siggers, who was with her for 26 years.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ransom was an undergraduate Communications Studies major at Oberlin College when a Gallaudet faculty member encouraged her to participate in an Oberlin-Gallaudet exchange program. The experience tapped into her passion for fighting discrimination. She became fluent in American Sign Language, returned to Gallaudet for a master’s in Deaf Education, and began her career as an interpreter.

In her 1996 PhD dissertation in Mass Communication from the University of Maryland-College Park (UMCP), Ransom wrote, “My interest in difference, defined simply as ‘other than the mainstream’ or ‘out of the ordinary,’ goes back as far as I can remember. As a young child, I found a left-handed classmate fascinating in a context where almost everyone was right-handed and being taught to write in ways that privileged right-handed people over left-handed ones…I thought it was unfair for her to have to work so hard to conform to right-handed standards.”

Ransom’s doctorate examined the unique ways that disability-focused publications disseminated information. “It is important to me to learn how individuals and groups, who are not part of the mainstream, negotiate their way, resist pressures to conform, and communicate their experiences when they can’t conform exactly to society’s (parents’/teachers’, religious institutions’, media’s) expectations,” she wrote.

Ransom was at the University of Maryland on Sept. 11, 2001, and Siggers remembers trying to track her down in the midst of the tragedy. “When I finally reached her, she let me know that she was staying on campus so that her Deaf students would have someone to be able to interact with and to keep them apprised of the events of that day. That was vintage Lillie, always thinking of others and how she could help,” Siggers says. Ransom was also on campus two months later to serve as one of the interpreters for Nelson Mandela, who delivered a touching speech to a crowd of 10,000 people.

When Ransom returned to Gallaudet in 2003 as a member of the Communications Studies faculty, she relished the opportunity to give back to those who had given her so much. She especially loved teaching Women’s Studies courses.

One of her good friends was Provost Dr. Khadijat K. Rashid, ’90, who remembers mentioning to Ransom that she had never seen Alex Haley’s “Roots,” the acclaimed mini series. “So of course we had to organize several weekends of watching it with Teena and some other friends, during which we brought typical African-American and African foods to share, and had wonderful conversations about race, history, economic status, family and education,” says Rashid, whose family is from West Africa like Kunta Kinte, the main character in the series. 

In addition to leading the Communication Studies program for two years, Ransom also served as a full-time Special Assistant to the Provost, helping coordinate Gallaudet’s internal and external communications. Dr. Paige Franklin, ’91 & G-’95, Director of Operations and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education, had the office next to hers in College Hall. “Lillie was a wonderful storyteller! We loved talking with each other so much that we started meeting for lunch on a regular basis,” says Franklin, who notes that their meals together continued after Ransom retired in 2020. “Those were wonderful times of fellowship and laughter.”

Outside of Gallaudet, Ransom embraced the Deaf community in a variety of ways. She was a member of Baltimore’s Bethel AME Church’s Deaf Ministry, performed in Joyful Sign (a singing/signing group), and fundraised for the Deaf Abused Women’s Network. For her 60th birthday, Ransom hosted a memorable party in Ole Jim featuring Deaf DJ Nico DiMarco, ’13.

“Seems like most places we traveled she would meet someone who was Deaf,” Siggers says. “She would chat with them like they’d been friends forever. Always polite and respectful with that beautiful smile and beautiful hands. I loved to see her sign.”

She is survived by Siggers, as well as her siblings and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service was held November 3, 2025 in Cleveland, and another on November 15, 2025 at Riverside Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

Edward Marshall Wick, ’62, who mentored and inspired countless students during his 26-year career teaching Business at Gallaudet, died December 1, 2025. The 86-year-old Toronto native was best known for his tireless advocacy as President and Executive Director of the Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD). One of his many accomplishments was bringing closed-captioned television programming to Canada. His contributions were recognized internationally, including receiving the World Federation of the Deaf’s International Solidarity Medal and Canada’s Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.

Wick became deaf at age 9, when he was treated with ototoxic medication after a car accident. He first made his mark on Gallaudet as an undergraduate, serving as an editor of The Buff and Blue, president of Alpha Sigma Pi fraternity, and president of the study body government. He was especially proud that his fellow students selected him to be Gallaudet’s representative in the 1961-1962 edition of “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.” At Alpha Sigma Pi’s Barn Dance in the fall of 1960, he met Linda Lou Sokolis, ’64, who became his wife in 1963. They were married for 56 years until her death in 2019.

After graduation, Wick earned an MBA from the University of Toronto, worked as a systems analyst and programmer, and stepped into his role as President of CAD. In 1970, he established a business technology program at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which had just begun operating in Rochester, New York.

In 1974, Wick returned to Gallaudet, where he taught until his retirement in 2001. He earned a law degree from George Washington University in 1982, and used that training to help students understand legal concepts.

Emilia A. Chukwuma, ’85, who is now Director of the School of Civic Leadership, Business, and Social Change, fondly remembers taking several of his courses, including two in Business Law. “I enjoyed his classes, which were always lively and engaging. With his strong background in law and ASL, he knew how to make his students grasp complex legal and legislative rules. Sometimes I wondered if he was the person who wrote the laws,” she says. “I hardly missed his classes, because of his teaching style, the powerful way he shared his knowledge with his students, and his strong body language. He had high expectations for his students, and was very proud when I passed the business law section of the CPA examination.”

As his colleague, Chukwuma was impressed by Wick’s dedication to his students, Gallaudet, and the larger Deaf community, especially the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church of the Deaf. “He even used those external communities to obtain support for students who were struggling financially or needed a home to stay over the holidays,” she says.

Another of Wick’s former students is Associate Professor Makur Aciek, ’97. He remembers that the first time they met, Wick was excited to learn that Aciek had immigrated from Sudan to Canada, and lived in Toronto before coming to Gallaudet. Wick’s two Business Law courses left a lasting impression on Aciek, who currently teaches Business Law. “He was a great professor who emphasized students’ understanding of legal jargon. He used the Socratic method to stimulate students’ discussion of legal concepts,” Aciek says. Aciek also had the chance to work under Wick’s wife Linda as a student assistant in the library.

The Wick family’s lives were profoundly shaped by their time at Gallaudet. “Marshall loved Gallaudet deeply — and because of that, part of him will always remain there,” says his grandson, Ben Bellassai. “I am writing a book about his life, preserving his stories, humor, leadership, and the remarkable spiritual depth he carried — especially in his later years. Gallaudet plays a central role in that story, not only in his accomplishments, but in the community that shaped who he became.” (If anyone would like to share a memory or reflection on his impact, you can email Bellassai at b.bellassai1@gmail.com.)

Wick is survived by his three children, Susan, Bonnie, and Ted, as well as 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Plans for a celebration of life event in D.C. are forthcoming.