Ausma L. Smits Endowment

Ausma L. Smits was born in Latvia on August 3, 1939, and immigrated to the United States in 1951. She graduated from the Illinois School for the Deaf in 1957, followed by a Bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet University in 1961. Ausma joined Gallaudet’s faculty as an Instructor of history in 1963, and while there she would earn her Master’s degree in Far East studies from Georgetown University in 1965. She continued to be a part of the History department until retiring in 2000, including chairing the department from 1974 to 1983, which earned her the distinction of being the History department’s first Deaf woman Chair. In 2003, she was named Professor Emerita.

Ausma served as a dedicated advocate for the Deaf community for many years. A brief list of her service:

• Member of the Gallaudet College Alumni Association National Board

• Co-founder, Deafness Related Concerns Council

• Participant in the 1988 Deaf President Now! Movement

• Building the Roundtable on Deaf Issues through MWAD (Metro Washington Association of the Deaf)

• Co-founder, Deaf History International (1991)

Ausma has also had numerous honors bestowed upon her, including the Frederick C. Schreiber Leadership Award, the Golden Rose Award from the National Association of the Deaf, and the Laurent Clerc Award from Gallaudet University Alumni Association.