Senior Citizens Luncheon

Deborah Meranski Blumenson
Presenter
Deborah M Blumenson (formerly Sonnenstrahl) was born in Baltimore, MD to culturally oriented parents who despite her protests did not consider congenital deafness as a deterrent to introducing their young daughter to art museums and theaters without interpreters or any other visual aids. Debbie earned her BA degree in Art (Gallaudet University, 1958), MA degree in Art History (Catholic University of America, 1976) and Ph.D. in combined fields of Deaf Education and Museum Studies (New York University, 1987).

Debbie taught Art History and Museum Studies at Gallaudet University for 32 years and retired as Professor Emerita in 1996. She was selected as “Professor of the Year” by the District of Columbia Council of Advancement and Support of Education in 1992. She received numerous awards related to her academic, theatrical, consulting, and volunteering services, including the coveted 2003 Benjamin Franklin Book award for her book, Deaf Artists in America: Colonial to Contemporary. Today she is grateful that her parents ignored her protests! Debbie resides in Boynton Beach, FL with her husband, Dr. Les Blumenson, a retired biostatistician. She has two Deaf children, Sam Sonnenstrahl and Beth Benedict and four Deaf grandchildren.