Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 134 No. 4 Summer 2013 | Page 6

Deaf Community Connections
EDITOR’S NOTE: WSD aims to develop the whole child: academically, culturally, linguistically, socially, and
emotionally. In this issue the writers have highlighted several articles that reach out to and connect with the
Deaf Community with an historical look at clubs and organizations during Milton Lee’s lifetime and a glimps at
the international Deaf World with senior Mitchell Perry and WSD staff Cheryl Trunk and Becky Epple.

Building and Sharing Memories
During his high school years, Milton Lee kept busy
participating in several clubs, sports, and activities.
Mr. Lee was the President of the Literary Society for
two years, class president for one year and class vicepresident for one year. He also could be found on the
football eld as captain in 1950 and 1952. Basketball
was another talent he displayed. Mr. Lee received a
Sportsmanship Award in 1952 for sportsmanship and
leadership. In 1951, Mr. Lee was recognized as the
homecoming king. From 1951 to 1953, he worked
as a monitor earning ten dollars per month, helping
supervise the younger students.
After graduating from Gallaudet University, Milton
Lee returned to WSD to share his knowledge and rich
experiences, hoping to help guide young men and
ladies through the same wonderful experience he had
at WSD.
Mr. Lee’s experience as a Boy Scout was useful
during his ten years as an assistant scoutmaster for
the Tenderfoot troop. The troop practiced memorizing
different scout laws and duties and camped near what
is now Delavan’s Waste Treatment Facility. At that
time, the eld was only occupied by an old log cabin
which was used as a base camp for the troops. It was
said that the log cabin was built by the scouts with the
help of the rst WSD scoutmaster, Duncan Cameron,
after cutting down twenty-two trees from the nearby
forest. The cabin was used for activities such as
meetings, where students learned rst aid, how to
build a re, compass reading, measuring distance,
semaphore codes and survival techniques. The cabin
also had a kitchen where the scouts learned how to
prepare food. For many years, the troop also attended
several camporees in various states. A camporee is
a local or regional gathering of scouting units for
camping and activities. The troop competed against
other deaf troops from several different states. The
WSD troop won numerous ribbons throughout the
years. The scouts de nitely pro ted immensely from
their adventurous and memorable trips.
Summer 2013 - 6

1953 Boy Scout Troop #23
Mr. Lee is standing in the back row fourth from the right.

During the school year of 1966-1967, Mr. Lee was
on the committee of the Creative Arts Club, which is
similar to our current high school drama program. The
cast was split in three groups and Milton worked with
one of them while his wife, Joy sewed the costumes.
In 1966, Mr. Lee, as well as Gallaudet alumni
Betty Crowe, was asked by Superintendent Huff to
establish a Wisconsin chapter of the Junior National
Association of the Deaf at the WSD. Approximately
twenty- ve students were part of the organization
when it was rst established, but the number could
not be con rmed. Both Mr. Lee and Ms. Crowe were
responsible for explaining the constitution and the bylaws to the members. During the bi-weekly meetings,
Mr. Lee and Ms. Crowe taught members how to
run the meetings and how to perform the duties of
the of cers as well as shared ideas for fundraising
projects. The sponsors also assisted the members in
developing their potential leadership skills. This was
a wonderful experience for everyone who was part
of the development of this club and those who were
members as well.
For twenty-four years, Mr. Lee was one of the junior
or senior class sponsors. During their meetings, the
prom was discussed and planned. Back in those days,
prom was held in the old gym, which is now Lee
Gym. The members of the junior and senior class
decorated the gym with crepes, paintings, and papers
with various drawings that were then painted with
watercolors. This whole process took approximately
two weeks. The members were excused from their