Ms. Ruth Paul, long-time supporter of the Deafness Research Foundation (DRF), recalls the “aha!” moment when she first realized she needed hearing aids. She was in a job interview for a position with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The interviewer initiated the exchange with a question, but Ms. Paul could not hear what was being asked – in addition to hearing loss, a bad head cold was further interfering with her hearing. It was a snowy day, which was unusual for Washington, D.C., so she took a guess and replied something about the weather. The interviewer responded, so Ms. Paul guessed again commenting further about that snowy day. Finally, with some frustration in his voice, the interviewer said quite loudly, “I’m asking you if you have a match to light a cigarette!” Though she had been aware of her hearing loss for some time, she knew then that it was time to apply technology to the problem.
Fortunately, the interviewer was more interested in Ms. Paul’s professional skills than her hearing ability. She got the job and worked many years for the CIA before retiring. She was soon fitted with hearing aids in both ears, which made a significant difference in her hearing. Ms. Paul encourages everyone to look to hearing aids as a possible source of help with hearing loss. From her personal experience, she knows how important a little bit of encouragement can be.
Ms. Paul discovered she was losing her hearing at age 21. “All along the way, I felt I was in quite an isolated situation. Consumer information was not as organized as it is today,” Ms. Paul recalls. “I then became acquainted with DRF and became an annual giver.” Ms. Paul and her twin sister, the late Miriam Leslie, both had hearing loss due to otosclorosis and both have been significant contributors to DRF over the years.
They have done their part to further hearing research in a more personal way as well by being research subjects in a study on identical twins with hearing loss, conducted by the late Edmond P. Fowler, Sr., M.D. His son, Edmond P. Fowler, Jr., M.D., was Ms. Paul’s personal otolaryngologist and performed two stapes mobilization operations on her. Normally, these operations are quite effective at treating otosclorosis; however, in Ms. Paul’s case they did not result in improved hearing, though they did not worsen her condition in any way either.
Tragically, Fowler, Jr., passed away before his father and Fowler, Sr.’s research on twins went unfinished.
Ms. Paul, like many others with hearing loss, has lived an enviable life. She attended Smith College, graduating in 1938, and spent her junior year abroad in Italy, though she admits her accent remained “very American.” Even so, her language skills were sought after a few years later when World War II broke out. She worked first in the Italian Embassy for the Swiss and then came to work for the United States government in the Office of Strategic Services. She mostly searched Italian newspapers for intelligence information. This experience compensated for her interview mishap and helped to land her the job at the CIA where she worked in operations in countries with which the U.S. had no diplomatic relations.
Since retiring, Ms. Paul has undertaken a great many volunteer operations with organizations such as the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., and the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. For the latter, she headed their national essay contest for four years after six previous years of involvement and has helped to publicize and raise funds for Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington’s family in England.
All along she has had a personal commitment to assisting others with hearing loss by offering moral support and information. “Society doesn’t give a great deal of sympathy to hard-of-hearing people,” says Ms. Paul. “Recently I learned of a family that has four children and one is profoundly deaf. I was pleased to be able to give them information about DRF. Anything we can do to publicize what DRF does and is seeking to do is wonderful.”
In her tireless enthusiasm for our cause, Ms. Ruth Paul is helping others get connected to resources they need and helping DRF fulfill its mission.
