Hi.

I'm Mark Greer, executive director of the Akron Bicentennial.

And in partnership with PBS Western Reserve, we're pleased to present a forgotten history Forum series.

The Forgotten History forums will explore aspects of Akron's history that, while critical to our development, are not often discussed.

Throughout this yearlong series will highlight seminal points in our history, some undiscovered and others which still challenge us today.

Topics will include women trailblazers in Akron's history, the development of the New Akron History Anthology published by the University of Akron Press, Akron's Native American History, The History of Deaf Rubber Workers, The Impact of Urban Renewal, particularly on Akron's Black community, and the history of the African American Church, among others.

On behalf of the Akron Bicentennial, we hope you enjoy our Forgotten History Forum series.

But at this time, I'm very happy to introduce, Miss Melissa Musser.

And she is going to be leading us through tonight's Forgotten History Forum on the history of Akron's Deaf rubber workers.

Please help me welcome Melissa Musser.

Thank you so much.

Thank you all for being here.

It's an honor and a privilege.

Alright, so, my name is Melissa Bradley Musser.

I am from Akron, Ohio.

My grandparents adopted me.

My parents passed away when I was three years old.

So, my grandparents, Ruth and Leighton Bradley, who I'll be talking about today, adopted me and they're listed on my birth certificate.

I called them mom and dad growing up.

But for purposes of this, I will be, referring to them as my grandparents.

But please don't get confused if I accidentally called them mom or dad.

You know, it's just, it's just happens sometimes, so I'll interchange the two.

But I█m just so happy to share our story about both personal and collective triumph of the Deaf community.

Alright, so, Ruth Fisher Bradley, she was born on January 2nd, 1924.

She lost her hearing at age three, likely due to complications from scarlet fever or some similar type of illness.

I have, similar issues with my eustachian tubes.

Likely inherited from her.

So I do, also suffer and, from from hearing problems in that regard.

So she was originally from, the Appalachian region.

And she later attended the Ohio School for the Deaf.

She moved to Akron during the Great Migration, and she learned American Sign Language.

at the Deaf club and worked at the Akron post office Leighton Bradley was born deaf.

And he was born on August 24th, 1914, in South Carolina.

He was fluent in American Sign Language and did not use spoken language.

Leighton attended Gallaudet University for one year before moving to Akron, where he worked at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

So I'm going to be sharing, the story from my perspective.

I'm sure that you all have wonderful different perspectives as well, but I am a CPA and I do cybersecurity.

I am not a historian.

So be gentle with me.

I'm, you know, I was looking through the bicentennial book and I noticed I said, hey, I think I want to tell a little bit more about this story.

And they said, well, this would be a great forum for you to come.

And so I put some slides together and I hope that you all enjoy.

So I did want to pause and give a tribute to some of the historical sources that you will be seeing today.

So the Akron history of the Deaf book by Clyde Wilson.

Many in the deaf community may be familiar with this.

It's a rare spiral bound compilation created and distributed in limited quantity, to preserve the Deaf history in Akron, Ohio.

Clyde kept all sorts of newspaper clippings, and that was the thing to do.

Back then, I know my grandmother always collected newspaper clippings.

I still find them in books, and I'll open up a book and they'll be like a recipe or a newspaper clipping in there.

And I think it's really wonderful.

Well, they did a really tremendous job.

I mean, this is a very big book with lots of amazing clippings dating from 1913 all the way to 1993, all documenting as best they could Akron's Deaf history.

And even at the end of it, there's a list of all the names of the folks that they could identify in the deaf community at the time.

So it's a really great resource.

This book was hand given to my grandmother, and she even signed it because that's another thing that she always did.

She always signed the corner of everything.

So all the books, all the cool cookbooks I have and all the things I█m really happy that I get to see her name there, Ruth F. Bradley and I believe it says July ‘93 is when she got it.

So most clippings that you're going to see are mostly from the Akron Beacon Journal, but there are a few other things in there as well.

I try to attribute as best I can.

I've also included my family photos, articles, and other items just that were preserved around the home that I still have.

Thankfully, I was able to preserve some things.

So.

But all materials are used under the principles of fair use for education and historical documentation.

It would be my great pleasure to maybe one day have a display at the new Akron History Museum.

My email is at the end of this presentation, so if you have anything you would like to share or maybe donate to some kind of artifact collection, or maybe a story that I missed that you want to share, please email me.

We'd love to, you know, share the story.

It's a really wonderful story that we have.

I thought I added these slides, just last week because I thought it was important to provide some more historical context to the importance of what happened in Akron.

And, you know, this statement here, this is one of the most powerful and enduring statements in American history.

It comes from the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and it captures the foundation of what later became known as the American Dream.

All men are created equal.

That idea challenges us to ensure fairness and dignity for everyone, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance.

I do believe we live in a great country.

I also think that it would be important to describe a brief history of ASL versus Oralism.

And actually, some of this I was not aware of myself.

So it was important educational context for me.

So early 1800s ASL, American Sign Language develops.

ASL is a complete, visual language, as you can see, with its own grammar and structure.

And it supports Deaf culture and identity.

In 1817, the first permanent school for the Deaf in the United States was founded in Hartford, Connecticut.

American Sign Language begins to take shape, blending French Sign Language, regional signs, and home signs.

In 1864, Gallaudet University is founded by Edward Minor Gallaudet, and it becomes a national center for Deaf education and culture, strongly supporting American Sign Language.

Also late 1800s, we talk about the rise of oralism and what that is.

Oralism is an approach to Deaf education focused on teaching spoken language and lip reading.

It discourages the use of sign language, aiming to help Deaf individuals assimilate into hearing society.

1867 Oralist schools like the Clark School for the Deaf are founded.

1880 At the Milan Conference in Italy.

Educators gather around to vote to ban sign language in K through 12 schools globally.

A formal- and I just found this out.

A formal apology was issued in 2010, noting that this was in fact an act of discrimination and a violation of human rights and constitutional rights.

But that was the case, and that's exactly what happened.

Oralism speech training and lip reading becomes the dominant in U.S..

Deaf students are punished for using American Sign Language.

Abraham Lincoln has a famous quote to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.

That struck me.

I just thought that was powerful.

This comes from his July 4th, 1861 speech.

He spoke these words as the president of the United States, addressing Congress during the escalating civil War.

He took steps to fulfill this promise, a fair chance at the race of life to the Deaf.

By signing Gallaudet University's charter in 1864, marking for the first time a government sanctioned institution provided access to higher education for Deaf people using sign language and written language.

This charter established Gallaudet University as the world's first higher education institution, specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing students.

That brings us to why we're here today.

The Akron rubber worker story.

I just thought that was important background information.

Thanks to the rubber- Akron's rubber industry, the Deaf individuals achieved unprecedented economic and cultural empowerment.

This is an article that appeared in the 1918 issue of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Akron first to give equality to Deaf mutes.

Now, deaf mutes is not a term that we use anymore, but I'm going to use it today because I'm reading off these articles.

But this is a very, very big deal.

I'm going to talk more about that in some future slides.

But right now I wanted to talk about the Deaf American dream.

I was thinking about what I wanted to focus on when telling this story.

And to me, you know, the Deaf American dream, can mean a lot of different things that the American dream.

And we'll certainly talk about that.

But I'm just so grateful.

And I and I look at the life that I was given, and I know it's thanks to the rubber company and the opportunities that were giving to the Deaf individuals.

For the first time, Deaf individuals could graduate from school, move to a city, secure, stable, well-paying jobs, build families and communities without sacrificing their language or identity.

This was a radical departure from the isolation or limited prospects deaf people faced elsewhere.

Akron is the place where deaf culture moved from the margins to the mainstream, not through assimilation, but through the proud use of American Sign Language and the creation of a vibrant community.

It was the proving ground, paving the way for later advocacy like American Sign Language official recognition as a language in 1960, and for the passage of the American Disabilities Act in 1990.

Next comes targeted recruitment of Deaf workers in Akron's rubber industry.

Alright.

So by 1913, Akron was experiencing an economic boom driven by the automobile industry and a surge in demand for rubber tires.

Companies like Goodyear and Firestone and Bfgoodrich were rapid, were growing rapidly, and needed more labor and fast.

There were chronic labor shortages even before WWI.

There were high turnover amongst the hearing workers and the noisy factory environments were perfect for Deaf workers, and they excelled because of their hearing loss not being a barrier in these loud settings.

And there was a very low turnover, the Ohio Labor Bureau recognized that the deaf individuals were being under deployed and despite being capable, reliable workers.

So they started to promote hiring the deaf as early as 1930, urging companies like Goodyear to give Deaf workers a chance, especially for repetitive industrial tasks that did not require hearing.

So here is an example.

This, I believe, was a clipping from the Akron Beacon Journal.

Silent Efficiency Surprise.

Several years ago, we were urged by the state Labor Department at Columbus to try a few mutes in our organization on factory operations.

We were rather skeptical at the time as to whether this would prove successful or not.

Fearing accidents but determined to try it out, we were most agreeably surprised at the result, finding that these men, made up by quickness of eye and quickness of hand, what they lacked in other senses.

We have found them both efficient and industrious, full of the Goodyear spirit, and the more we can get in our organization of this type, represented by those who are now with us, the better off our company will be.

We sincerely hope that their numbers in the Goodyear family will continue to increase.

And here I've listed some of the first hires by Firestone and Goodyear.

There's Park Myers, first man to work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

We've got, Clara Olinger, the first Deaf lady to work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

And this is just from the clippings that were in the book.

Katherine Lenz, first Deaf lady to work at Firestone, and Ralph Dann, the first man to work at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

Deaf recruitment, Firestone and Goodyear, with the full support of Harvey Firestone and Charles Seiberling, began targeting the targeted recruitment of the Deaf.

Recruiters like Firestone█s Benjamin Schowe, Jr and Goodyear's chemist Kreigh B. Ayers, both Deaf themselves, targeted men in their 20s and 30s who attended residential schools for the Deaf, like Gallaudet University.

Now we step into the World War One time period.

The United States enters the war in 1917, prompting a massive mobilization of manpower.

Approximately 2.8 million men were drafted and another 2 million men volunteered for service.

Deaf individuals were exempt from military service under the Selective Service Act.

While hearing men were sent overseas, Deaf men remained stateside, becoming a vital part of the domestic workforce.

As factories ramped up production to support the war effort, they faced severe labor shortages, particularly in essential industries such as rubber, steel and munitions.

Deaf individuals were increasingly recruited to fill these industrial jobs, especially in Akron, Ohio.

By 1918, Akron had one of the largest deaf communities in the United States, centered around the rubber industry.

This, the Wingfoot Clan, was a publication of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and they did a special issue in May 1918 focusing on Deaf workers, and this became a cherished memento to the Deaf employees, that it says Goodyear gives every mute a chance to do his bit.

And I'm going to, read a little bit about what this says.

This is part of the Wingfoot Clan's special issue.

At Goodyear, the mutes are given a chance to learn trades and earn a living and earn a livelihood.

They are given a chance to mingle with the best crowd of mutes located anywhere in the country.

They are given a chance to join their societies to enjoy the same social times, the same amusements, the same athletics.

They're given the opportunity to join the literary society, where frequently a prominent educator delivers a lecture.

They are given the opportunity to work in a factory that believes in the fellowship of everyone in the organization, where everyone is a Goodyearite.

All these opportunities are given at Goodyear, and at the same time, each worker is in the great plant, can realize within himself that he is doing a part in helping America to win the war, for he is sticking on the job and helping the wheels of industry move steadily.

I think that employers today can learn a lesson.

This wasn't just lip service as they say.

They were really, really doing this at Goodyear.

They were building athletic- They were building buildings to support athletics.

They were allowing for social clubs.

I really think there's a lot that we can learn today from some of the things that Goodyear did to support their people.

Here is an excerpt from the Wingfoot Clan.

And you'll see, here's the factory school that they were talking about.

They really did care about educating people, and they really did care about their employees.

It says reading, writing and arithmetic.

The three R's are taught at Goodyear's mute colony at the factory school.

I just think this is really important and is really special And here is the article that I was referencing earlier.

And this again, is from the 1918 Akron Beacon Journal article.

Washington, DC officials visit Akron studying the industrial situation, noting that Akron is the first city in the nation to give debt full recognition, equal pay for equal work, and no apparent limits to the height an individual may climb This has never happened before, and that's what Goodyear and Firestone did.

That's what the rubber companies did.

The impact of the Second World War, I won't go into the Great Depression had to been an absolute terrible time, but I'm going to move right into the impact of the second World War.

And that is when my grandfather was recruited.

The second wave of migration happens, after Pearl Harbor.

That's when we joined in 1941.

And, and hundreds and hundreds of new generation of Deaf from every state, not almost every state, from every state came, came to Akron for work.

At the time I read 48 states, I wrote almost.

And then I realized there were only 48 states at the time.

So that's every state.

My grandfather, Leighton Bradley was at Gallaudet one year before being recruited to come back to, to to come work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

And actually, I got that from Gallaudet.

They sent it to me.

That's his signature and his name card and evidence that he was there for one year.

By the 1940s, Akron has earned its title the rubber Capital of the world, producing the majority of tires in the United States.

Akron is the place to be.

Deaf workers were escalating.

These are just estimates that I was able to find, Firestone 300 deaf workers, Goodyear 135 workers, Goodyear aircraft, 500 workers.

I've also seen figures noting it around 1000 workers.

I'm not sure of the exact number, but there were other deaf friendly employers now that have joined, the Akron post office where my grandmother worked, and also the Akron Beacon Journal employed the Deaf as well.

So we'll just say approximately 1000 Deaf workers were employed in Akron during World War Two time frame, including the families of the Deaf.

The Deaf population was likely around 3500.

In Akron, Ohio.

This created an unprecedented concentration of Deaf individuals in one city, solidifying Akron as a hub of Deaf culture in America.

I also wanted to note from, the newspaper clippings that Walter Shaw was the first Black Deaf man to work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1943.

Martha Doss, who I remember, she's a friend.

So I see some folks reacting.

She was the first Black Deaf woman to work at the Akron Post office.

So she worked with my grandmother in 1970.

Had this level of prosperity ever happened before?

And the answer is no.

No previous era offered Deaf individuals the level of widespread economic opportunity and social inclusion that Akron did during this time period, while other regions hired Deaf workers sporadically or in isolated roles, Akron's model represented large scale economic inclusion.

It visibly challenged prevailing discrimination against the deaf identity, and affirmed the value of American Sign Language and both community and workplace life.

Akron didn't just provide jobs, it provided a foundation for a Deaf cultural pride, financial independence, and intergenerational mobility.

Don't you want your children to have a better life than you?

Isn't that the American dream?

Making it a landmark moment in Deaf history, this allowed them to support their families, own homes and send their children to better schools.

As a result, their children, whether they were Deaf or hearing, had more opportunities for advancement than the previous generation.

Here is a newspaper clipping from 1918 Buy Homes on the Heights.

Goodyear Heights is a settlement of Goodyear homeowners.

It's located on the Heights, about a quarter mile from the factory, and it's on Goodyear█s workers are sold or built homes on payment plans that make it possible for every man to purchase a thoroughly modern and attractive home on a large lot.

18 of The Silents now own homes there, while about 15 more own lots and will build in the near future.

Home ownership is widely considered a cornerstone to the American Dream, symbolizing success, independence and stability.

This is actually a picture of the house I grew up in.

Journey to a Good Life.

My grandparents were able to purchase this home in Akron, Ohio.

Rubber worker neighborhood, finding steady employment at Goodyear and my grandmother Ruth worked at the Akron Post office transformed their lives by providing stable work and a supportive community, which is also important.

This opportunity gave our family a secure and fulfilling life that changed our destiny.

Flourishing culture.

We're going to talk about why that's important.

It's the Akron Club of the Deaf.

Here's a newspaper article from the Beacon Journal.

Now it's 1944.

The article calls Akron the world's crossroads of the Deaf and I- And growing up, I didn't really understand what that meant, but I get that now.

I mean, every state was represented in this Deaf club.

That's a big deal.

It was founded by Ivan Curtis in 1943.

Located at 21 South Main Street, the club occupied 3000 square foot of space with a lounge, a dance hall, a theater, game rooms, an aim to support deaf individuals through social and recreational opportunities.

And like I said, the club had members from all 48 states, which was every state in the nation.

So hence the crossroads of the Deaf.

And like I mentioned before, this is where a lot of Deaf learned American Sign Language because it still wasn't yet allowed to be taught in schools.

This is where my grandmother learned American Sign Language.

This is ,this is where they shared their culture.

This is a picture of my grandparents and a plaque that my grandfather got.

50th Anniversary Club is still rockin by the time I'm around in the 80s.

I remember some of y'all when I was a little young kid running around causing trouble at the Akron Deaf Club.

So, but he was awarded this plaque, 50 years of leadership and helping establish the organization to which they were still members at the time, providing support for its continuity 50 year anniversary.

And, you'll notice I'm looking at John because I know he's in the picture here.

So this is the Akron division of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, established in 1915.

This photo was actually from the 1982 group.

My grandfather Leighton is there in the back row.

And John Bradley Jr, who is actually with us here tonight, is in the very center front row.

So this is another article.

This article comes out in 1952.

And at this point Akron is nationally known and famous for the employment of the handicapped.

And they say here in the title, More and more Deaf hear about Akron.

So at this point, this is over 40 years of supporting the Deaf and Deaf culture.

It is nationally known.

The deaf are flocking to Akron, Ohio, and the Akron Deaf Club, and it is the place to be.

So I want to pause here because this is where Deaf culture really blossoms, because back then I don't think they even used the term Deaf culture.

Right?

But it's important.

Deaf culture is a vibrant and distinct community, where sign language serves as the primary means of communication.

Shared experience, values, and traditions shapes the community's identity.

It encompasses a wide range of elements, including language, history, art, literature, social norms, and fosters a deep, deep sense of belonging and pride and unity amongst its members.

And this is very important for the American Dream and for happiness.

It's this sense of community.

So there's a thing and there's a convention called big D deaf and little D deaf.

The convention was adopted to capitalize the word deaf to describe the cultural practices of Deaf culture.

Lowercase deaf refers to the conditions of deafness or individuals with hearing loss without reference to Deaf culture.

So what was here in Akron was big D deaf.

You can be Deaf and not have Deaf culture.

You can be hard of hearing and not have Deaf culture.

You can be hard of hearing and have Deaf culture.

So this is the significance of what happened here in Akron, Ohio.

Little d deaf individuals may have significant hearing loss but may not identify.

Like I said, they may need they they may use hearing aids.

Cochlear implants are spoken language and integrate primarily into hearing society.

So if you were to look at statistics on the number of deaf, you may see other cities that have more.

But Akron was significant.

I think this is why I wanted to point that out.

So why were Deaf Clubs so important for American Sign Language?

American Sign Language thrived in the underground during the time when sign language was banned or discouraged in schools.

Children were punished for signing, but once they graduated, they flocked to the deaf clubs, like in Akron, where American Sign Language was the dominant language.

Deaf adults used American Sign Language with each other, and younger Deaf individuals learned American Sign Language naturally from their peers and mentors in these clubs.

Just like language immersion, clubs hosted everything from storytelling nights to theater performances to sports teams to political activism.

These spaces preserve Deaf culture and identity.

These clubs were safe places to resist the oralist ideology pushed on by schools.

Understanding Big D Deaf culture highlights that Deafness is not just a medical condition, but a rich identity with its own language and traditions.

It challenges stereotypes of disabilities and emphasizes the importance of accessibility, such as interpreters and captioned media and respect for Deaf people's choices, like preferring American Sign Language over oralism if they choose to.

Deaf culture is like any other culture, with shared values like valuing visual communication and community events and a history of advocating for their rights.

In Akron, Ohio, the deaf community thrived around the rubber industry and the Akron Club of the Deaf.

This was a cultural hub where big D Deaf individuals socialize shared American Sign Language, and supported each other, distinct from hard of hearing workers who may not have engaged in this culture at all.

Big news.

This book is my mom's book.

I still have it.

She signed the inside of it.

Or my grandmother.

See, I told you I would mix that up.

Ruth Bradley signs.

She likes to sign the corner.

So, 1960 American Sign Language becomes an official language.

I would like to think Akron played a big part in this.

It's not officially documented anywhere, but, I mean, you got all all the states in one place, and they're all using American Sign Language.

Akron's national visibility as a Deaf Mecca drew individuals, like I said, from all the states, spreading American Sign Language and cultural norms through social clubs, sports, religious initiatives like the 1947 interpreted service at the Akron Baptist Temple.

This model influenced other cities and supported the broader Deaf rights movement, contributing to ASL recognition as a language.

In 1960.

So I found this card in my house.

I still have a lot of stuff from my grandparents.

Some of you may recognize it, and this was a card my grandmother would keep in her purse, and it's got a lot of the different, Deaf organizations there.

And it's the, manual alphabet, which some of y'all may know.

Next comes the TTY Wow This was big.

I wasn't around in 1964, but that big metal thing that you see there was definitely sitting in my house.

I remember clunking around on that thing.

So this is a defining moment in Deaf history is the invention of the TTY It enabled the Deaf to call each other directly using these devices.

We didn't have smartphones.

We didn't have any of these things.

So this was a major role in accessible communication.

And then I remember the fax machine coming through.

And that was an exciting time.

And then the last version of the TTY there, I remember, but I wanted to point that out because local businesses also got the TTY, or the TDD, it█s the same thing, just different reference to it.

So both TDD and TTY refer to devices that allow typed communication.

The TDD was a term often used in legislation and early accessibility initiatives like the eventual Americans with Disabilities Act.

TTY is something that we would use in more everyday speech anyway.

Same thing.

But you'll see here an example I found.

And again, I just found this in a book shoved in a book.

This is what my my grandmother would do.

So I found this, you know, TDD and it's for Society Bank.

And, you know, you can see there they had sign language.

You know, they had the hand signs up top and they had a, you know, and a lot of the, a lot of the businesses in the area.

I think this particular one may have been in Cleveland.

But they were all doing this for the Deaf.

And I think this was really great.

Also wanted to highlight, my childhood was full, social clubs and events and wonderful times.

And this is, again, something that I found around the house.

This is the Ohio Deaf Golfers Association.

Lots of associations.

My grandfather was big, big, big time into golfing.

You walk into our living room and there were trophies everywhere.

And for bowling, it was.

It was golfing and bowling.

So.

But they had these amazing picnics.

This one in particular.

It makes me miss SeaWorld and Geauga lake.

Very sentimental with that.

But, man, we had a good time.

We had a really good time back then.

And so these events played a really big role in, Deaf folks getting to meet each other.

And my grandparents met at a Deaf bowling event, so.

And I remember playing at the arcade for hours on end at the Deaf bowling events.

I have some Deaf cookbooks in the house.

And, so these were a couple that I found that I wanted to share with you all, I'm sure the really, really good recipes in there.

So just wanted to share that this is part of the culture.

There were Deaf cookbooks, lots of potlucks, and lots of good times.

This one was by the Ohio Association of the deaf, and this other one was from the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf in Akron, Ohio.

And I wanted to mention the Deaf religious services.

1916 Mina Gibson birthed a hearing child of deaf parents, founded an inner denominational Sunday school for Deaf children, later known as the Silent Class for the Deaf, and then in the World War Two era community Bible class of the Deaf formed in Goodyear Heights at the United Presbyterian Church and then Reverend Dalton.

The Church of Annunciation offered Catholic Mass in sign language and started a Catholic Deaf club.

1945 Doctor Dallas F. Billington of the Akron Baptist Temple created a Deaf and hearing impaired class, and in 1970, Reverend John Sederwall, who I know and I know some of you may know, moved to Akron specifically to serve the Deaf community.

And in 1982 he opened the Calvary Church of the Deaf, which I attended as a child.

And he officiated both my grandparents funerals.

And this is a picture of him, very wonderful person.

Deaf sports this deserves its own section because it's big time, but I think that may have been a cultural thing back then.

That I'd like to bring back.

I don't know why sports has to end after high school or college.

Why aren't we all competing in sports?

Let's go.

Let's all go play some volleyball outside together.

I feel like adults need to still engage in sports.

This is what they did back then.

Let's bring that back.

Can we?

But anyway, so this is a picture from the Goodyear Silent Athletic Club.

This was from 1915.

So, the Goodyear- Goodyear celebrated the talents and enthusiasm of its Deaf employees.

And listen to this, sports such as basketball, baseball, track, swimming, bowling, boxing, wrestling, football.

These are these are grown adults working in the factories and then having time to go to sports.

Can you can you imagine like, I mean, this is I think this is so great.

And it's so good for mental health and so important.

So anyway, they founded the Goodyear Silent Athletic Club, and it was there on, you know, East Market Street.

And it was a space dedicated exclusively to the Deaf employees.

How cool is that?

And then the very famous Goodyear Silents, if you want to learn more about them, they are at the Football Hall of Fame.

They have their own section.

In 1918, the Goodyear Silents football squad, the Wingfoot Clan, as they were known, competed at the highest level of semiprofessional football at the time.

Don't mess around with these guys.

Play the pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Silents weren't just good compared to the best semi-pro teams.

They were great.

They completed extremely well against fully professional clubs such as the Akron Pros, the first NFL champions in 1920.

This is a really big deal.

This is a really, really big deal.

And I wanted to highlight some other Deaf sports.

These are both pictures of my grandparents.

If you could see Ruth there, all lined up with the bowling.

You can see where I get my athleticism from right there.

Very competitive.

And then there's my grandfather.

This is an older picture of the Deaf golfers.

But man, there's just so much sports.

So much fun, so much community, so much love.

I mean, look, I mean, he was golfing till he was 80, you know, you know, I just feel like we need to bring that back, you know, it's just really important.

But this is this is the tight knit group of folks.

The beautiful story that happened here, in Akron, Ohio.

And then, you know, even this.

So the American Athletic Association of the Deaf.

Right?

So, Art Krueger, some of you may know, he used to work at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, known as the father of the American Athletic Association of the Deaf, co-founded in 1945, which was the predecessor of the US Deaf Sports Federation.

Krueger organized Deaf sports clubs into regions across the country and generated interest in Deaf sports through his writing to generate publicity.

Krueger was also well known for getting the United States involved in the World Games for the Deaf, known today as the Deaf Olympics.

So this is where a lot of this stuff gets started.

It's incredible.

And look at this.

Sherry Bradley, this is my cousin.

So my cousin, which is John and Rose's, daughter Sherry gets to actually compete in the world, in the Deaf Olympics, right?

She gets to go to Bulgaria.

I thought it's, like, just the coolest thing in the whole world.

She gets a gold medal in basketball, right?

So it's just this legacy.

You know, when I talk about your children having it better, this is.

This is what they did, for each other.

And she got to do these amazing things.

And, so this I believe this might be one of my last slides.

So this is, another picture of my, grandmother Ruth And so this I have all these, and I never really realized the top.

This top piece I have right here is just the notes.

She would write me notes on it because she she.

So I had to cut off the top.

But, so she was the, registrar for the, for this big national basketball tournament.

So the Akron Club of the Deaf hosted this national basketball tournament, and this was a really big deal.

This was like the 50th anniversary, and the event showcased Akron's role as a national Deaf sports hub, you know, showcasing it from the World War Two era.

Right.

And, she my grandmother was a previous basketball player herself, served as the registry director.

Basically, she was the key organizer to ensure the tournament ran smoothly.

You know, the role reflects her importance in the Deaf community and her contributions to the Akron club as the Deaf█s legacy, as a national hub.

I know at some point she was also the treasurer for the, club of the deaf.

But I wanted to highlight this 50th basketball tournament that was held in Akron, and it was in 1994.

So it was, you know, 50 years to to kind of celebrate the legacy.

This event was the first time in history that certified Deaf referees officiated the entire and tournament and impressed the fans.

So that's I think that's pretty cool.

Pretty cool that my grandmother helped be a part of that.

So I'm very proud.

And, and that's it.

That's really my concluding thoughts.

I just wanted to share another picture.

This this photo features my grandparents, Ruth and Leighton Bradley, I believe I'm not exactly sure where they are in this picture, but we were at a Deaf event.

I know that for sure.

And she's signing the I Love You and American Sign Language, and you can just see how just happy they are.

They're just exuding just this happiness.

They both passed away, before I turned 21.

But their love, strength and joy left a lasting mark.

I got a fortune cookie a little bit after they passed away, and I stuck it to the picture because, a good home is happiness.

I knew unconditional love.

I knew the I was a part of the Deaf community.

So I know what a healthy community feels like.

I know what that is like.

And I'm so grateful.

They were the most loving parents a girl could ask for.

We were surrounded by close friends, tight knit deaf community, and our home was filled with laughter and lots of card games and warmth.

I'm forever grateful to the Goodyear rubber companies or.

Or for all the rubber companies and Goodyear for and the city of Akron for helping make this beautiful life possible.

Akron may no longer be called the crossroads of the deaf, but its impact lives on.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this history.

I hope you'll carry these stories forward with pride and purpose and help bring them into the light.

And there is my email.

Alright Thank you.

So I have some questions here.

I'll try my best to read some of them.

Do you consider yourself part of the big the Deaf community, even though you aren't deaf?

Yes I do.

I'm a child of Deaf adults, and I grew up in the culture, and I consider myself to be part of the the big D Deaf community, and I'm very proud of it.

Okay.

Do all of the major languages have their own sign language?

I am not an expert here, but I do believe a lot of them do.

They're saying yes.

I know I have cousins, Ray Bradley, he started a Deaf church in Ecuador and had to learn Ecuadorian sign language.

And then he is starting to plant a Deaf church in Peru and now had to learn Peruvian sign language.

So, you know.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think they are working on a what is it, a national sign language.

But it's pretty fragmented, a universal sign language.

Yeah.

I'm getting some nods.

That would be neat.

We'll see how that develops.

Is there anywhere else there is a large Deaf community historically or today?

I am not an expert here, but definitely around the Deaf schools, definitely around Gallaudet, Rochester, New York and Frederick, Maryland.

I know as a large deaf community, I don't know if anyone else knows of another large Deaf community if you wanted to share, but those are the ones I currently know about.

What year did the first Deaf person work at the factory?

I am not sure.

I shared some of the first workers I believe maybe 1913.

But I know that the Diamond Rubber Company and I'm not sure the date it wasn't in the slides, but they may have been the first to employ the deaf.

I read that in the history, but I don't know the dates.

For that, and it was not very long lived.

Goodyear and Firestone were the big players in recruiting the Deaf, so we focused on that.

But I would say very early 1900s.

Were you a bowler?

Heck yeah.

Who asked that?

That's funny.

That's awesome.

Yes, I even have a fingertip ball.

So it's been a while.

But yes, definitely a bowler.

Thanks for asking.

Definitely love sports.

I don't know this question.

During the employment boom, were Deaf workers often treated fairly, or was their Deafness, abused or mistreated?

I think this is a good question.

And, I, I don't know the answer to that.

I'm sure there's probably cases of that, sadly, but I don't know for sure.

But I do know that there was a thriving community, and everyone from everything I read seemed to be very happy and there was very low turnover.

I know they didn't have a lot of options, but they certainly could have went to the other rubber company from Firestone to Goodyear or any of the other places they could have worked.

I do think I mean it just from reading these articles and what they did, I think these employers did a phenomenal job, and I think modern day employers can take lessons from them, honestly.

And that's why I wanted to share this story, about Akron, because it's historical and I think it sets a good example for even today.

So that's all there.

That's all the questions.

Thank you all.

What█s that?

there was another card?

Oh yeah.

There was the magically appeared.

Thank you.

How can I start building relationships with American Sign Language Deaf people, speakers?

I don't know much American Sign Language.

I'm really interested in Deaf culture, but I don't know where to start building relationships.

Aww This is really great.

And I know some of y'all might be able to help me here, but I know attending Deaf churches is a really good spot to start.

They oftentimes have, you know, interpreters for, for the hearing and both the Deaf.

So I think that's a great place to go.

Obviously, I think Kent State is a great place to hang out.

I know there's some Deaf clubs, Akron U, Akron U. I think that would be a really great place to go as well.

I think if you type in on Facebook, I think there's some clubs that if you type in, like a sign language club, I think there's some sign language clubs you can join.

And I think there are some online universities that provide free sign language.

But yeah, you're definitely going to want to socialize.

So I would, I would say those, those resources would be good.

That's a really great question.

Okay.

Alright.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me.

Well, can we give Melissa Musser another round of applause?

Thank you so much, Melissa.

We are so happy, to have this forum on such an important and historically impactful topic.

And we are looking forward to, hearing more and learning more about Akron's, Deaf history.

And, I want to especially also thank our two ASL interpreters.

Can we give them both a round of applause?

And thank you all for being a part of tonight's Forgotten History Forum.

The Forgotten History Forum series is proudly sponsored by First Energy Foundation and in partnership with our exclusive media partners at PBS Western Reserve.

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So please support PBS Western Reserve and your local public broadcasting.

We hope that you enjoyed this Forgotten History Forum and that you learned something new and exciting about Akron and the people who shaped it.

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