Deaf Man's Bluff & Mario Lanza He's Not, However...

One of my favorite family subjects is our uncle Bill (Rickard; aka BoBo). Perhaps it's because, in part, of his adaptation to deafness and overcoming adversities that were particularly challenging for one of his generation.

When he was growing up there were no technologies that assisted individuals with such a handicap. For example, in his case: the internet, email, texting and other social media hadn't been invented yet --- technologies and applications that would have easily aided his ability to communicate in a hearing world. Which is the focus of this story.

You see, my uncle and aunt (previously mentioned in another family story, whom was also deaf) did not believe in sign language. Their view was that they lived in a 'hearing' world and must therefore adapt as best they could. So they became very adept, incredibly so, at lip-reading.

Which leads me to an event for the deaf and hard of hearing that was being held in St.Louis, MO to which my uncle Bill was in attendance. He was holding a conversation with a hearing woman across the dinner table when his attention was drawn to another attendee sitting beside him, with whom he then began to converse.

Part way into this second conversation the woman across the table wished to chime in but uncle Bill was totally oblivious to her efforts as his attention was focused on his neighbor. The woman across the table couldn't understand and was becoming irritated as to why he was 'ignoring' her.

It wasn't until someone gave uncle Bill a visual cue that the woman across the table was attempting to speak to him that she realized he was totally deaf.

Unrelated to this story, but no less amazing to me...

When uncle Bill was about 90-years-old and attending a family Thanksgiving dinner, it suddenly dawned on me that I had never asked him if he, as he hadn't lost his hearing until he was 16 years of age, remembered any music or songs.

To my amazement, he said yes, he did. So I, in my curiousity, followed up with what I thought was the obvious next question: Do you think you could sing one?

Now, keeping in mind that he had not heard a sound in more than 70 years, I feared that I might embarrass him somehow. But he had always seemed amicable and cooperative in answering my questions in the past, so I figured I could always back away if I had inadvertently struck a sensitive nerve. But, NO!

Would you believe it? That elderly man, whom had not heard a note in nearly three-quarters of a century struck up singing not one, but two melodies {both of which I was familiar with, and can attest to} in perfect tune and pitch. How can someone who cannot hear himself speak do this, I thought.

But he did. Making for a very remarkable and memorable finale to that Thanksgiving day.