(photo courtesy of the 5th District Council Office)

The city of Los Angeles recently celebrated “Deaf Awareness Month” and recognized Dr. Patrick Seamans, who was selected by Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, as an honoree. Seamans is pictured with Koretz’s chief of staff, Joan Pelico.

Seamans is a community leader who makes essential contributions to the city as treasurer and board member of the Mid-City West Neighborhood Council.

He has served as a disabled representative on the board and its planning and land use committee. He has been involved in studying environmental impact reports, building permits, zoning, noise ordinances, street services and transportation.

Seamans is the son of a French mother and a father who was in the U.S. Army. He was born in 1952 in a military hospital in Germany, premature and weighing only four pounds. Within days, he was afflicted with a high fever, for which he was given an antibiotic that rendered him deaf. A year later, the antibiotic was banned for causing deafness.

Seamans was raised in France where sign language was forbidden in the classroom. He strived to excel and later became an accomplished architect. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, master’s degrees from USC’s School of International Relations and the School of Planning, Policy and Development, and a Ph.D. from the USC Rossier School of Education. He is also a published author, lecturer, philosopher, historian and photographer.