Ohio Deaf History
Ohio Deaf History Month SB 27 Bill March 13 to April 15
Group with Ohio Governor John Kasich on December 6, 2017, signing SB 27 to establish Ohio Deaf History Month
Many deaf people worked in the Goodyear and Firestone Company in Akron, Ohio during the World War II
Thomas Kot is the grandson of Philip Alfred Heupel Sr., a 1918 graduate of Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C., which at the time was the only college in the world for the deaf. Philip Heupel worked for almost 40 years in Akron’s rubber factories and eventually retired from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 1959. As Thomas said, “His story encapsulates a history that is not well known.” By 1920, Akron was known as the “Crossroads of the Deaf” and had the largest deaf population in the United States. Philip was a member of the Silent Squadron, a group of deaf workers who learned how to work in every department at Goodyear. He was an avid photographer, dedicated family man, and active leader in Akron’s deaf community
First DeafBlind student graduated
Lenora Culpher 1900-1989
She became DeafBlind at the age of six. She entered the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) in 1907 and graduated in 1919. She was the first Black and Native American DeafBlind student to graduate. She wanted to enroll in Gallaudet College, Washington, DC but they told her to attend her local college due to her color! When her father and stepmother divorced, she moved to Steubenville, where she became their housekeeper. In 1962, she moved and lived alone in an apartment.
William "Dummy" Hoy 1862-1961
He lost his hearing when he was three years old from meningitis. He entered Ohio School for the Deaf in 1872 and graduated in 1879 as valedictorian. He was noted for being the most accomplished deaf player in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1902
Robert Patterson 1848-1942
Deaf Teacher and Principal. He was born on December 11, 1848, in Oakley, Fifeshire, Scotland. In 1852 his family immigrated to the U.S. They later moved to Ohio. He went to the Ohio Institution (Ohio State School for the Deaf). He went to Gallaudet College in the fall of 1886 and graduated in June 1870. He taught at the Ohio Institution from the fall of 1870 to 1890 then he became a principal from 1890 to 1921.
General Grant had grown up in Brown County, Ohio, and on his way to Washington, DC in early March 1864 to begin his new command, he stopped in Columbus, Ohio, and stayed with Governor David Todd. As the military escort made its way past the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, a line of deaf students saluted the general and the soldiers accompanying him by waving handkerchiefs. Grant bowed his uncovered head to the crowd, and his carriage then stopped at the school. Superintendent George L. Weed stepped forward with Robert Patterson, a deaf student, and as Patterson signed his address congratulating Grant for his success, Weed spoke words to the audience. The great soldier graciously accepted hearing Weed's message.
Dr Jeff Borman 1944- 2022. (with his wife)
Jeff Bohman, Ph. D. was born profoundly deaf and lost his sight later in his life due to Usher's Syndrome. After receiving his doctorate in pharmacology, Dr Jeff worked as a research toxicologist for many years before changing his career to work as a leader and advocate within local, statewide, national, and international organizations serving the needs of people who are disabled and DeafBlind.
Dr Betty Miller, a Deaf Art Teacher created this picture to share her experiences in her childhood learning speech, and not using sign language.
Louise Hume
She became deaf at the age of 14. She moved to Akron, Ohio, after she graduated from Gallaudet College. She worked for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company for two years in Akron. She and her husband, Boyd Hume, helped in the establishment of a successful Vocational Rehabilitation Program for the Deaf in Ohio. She established a story house for deaf children at the Akron Library. She did a lot more to help the deaf community through the years. Also, she received awards during her lifetime of service.