Brother Frederick Schreiber, 41st Congregation

A native of Brooklyn, Frederick Schreiber was deafened by spinal meningitis at age 6. He graduated from Gallaudet College in 1942, and became actively involved in local, then national, Deaf politics. At the NAD’s 1964 convention, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer, an unpaid position. At the 1966 convention, the position of Executive Director was created, and Schreiber was unanimously elected. His salary was half of what he’d been earning as a printer, but he accepted the challenge. He set out to rebuild the NAD into a financially solvent, strong, visible, more democratic organization. He advocated and lobbied on Capitol Hill, secured federal grants and contracts to benefit the community, spearheaded a national census of the deaf population, and founded the NAD Broadcaster—and made other numerous and far-reaching changes. His legacy endures.