Boyd Douglas Hume was born in Gulfport, Mississippi on July 28, 1899. He lost his hearing at the age of 3 from scarlet fever, although it was partially restored by the time he was 35, enough for him to be able to use the telephone. A 56-year resident of Akron, Ohio, Boyd was a tire builder for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. He retired in 1965 after 43 years of service. He was a member of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, the Ohio Chapter Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and the Akron Club of the Deaf. Minnie Louise Goad Hume was born on August 5, 1908 in Covington, Tennessee. She became deaf at age 13 after taking high doses of quinine during the flu epidemic of 1911. Her parents died around the same time, and she was sent to live with relatives. Louise, as she was known, entered the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1922, graduating in 1925. She spent only one year at Gallaudet College. Later, Louise was active in the Ohio deaf community with her husband for more than 40 years. She taught sign language classes and helped establish a pilot education program for deaf patients at Apple Creek Hospital, among other things. She was a counselor for the deaf for the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority from 1978 to 1982. Her accomplishments are too numerous to list. Married in 1930, Boyd and Louise Hume were tireless advocates for the Ohio deaf community, assisting them with daily living tasks. Boyd Hume passed away on December 12, 1975 after a brief illness at the age of 76.