The "Herr Family Hero" Story

Just Sue looking over her family scrapbook.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the living room of Jerry and Just Sue in State College, PA. talking with them about .... well, just about everything and anything.  Catching up on old and current news when for some reason the conversation turned to Jerry's uncle Walter.  Sue grabbed her scrapbook which had family history information and found two articles on Jerry's uncle Walter C. Herr.  

Mr. Walter C. Herr

He was born in Brownstown, PA in 1899, but lived in Lancaster for the last 56 years of is life.  On May 4, 1917 he enlisted in the Army and served during WWI in France where he participated in the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihil offenses.  The former battle was the largest offensive involving 1.2 million American soldiers in U.S. military history and led to the end of the war.  It was during the war in France that mustard gas was used extensively.  I mention this because in 1943 Mr. Herr had his larynx removed due to cancer.  It had never been proven in Mr. Herr's case, but mustard gas was proven to be a human carcinogen if a person is exposed to sufficient amounts of the gas.  Walter told the story that the hospital never explained his operation for removal of his "voice box" to him until everything was finished.  They then gave him a mimeographed sheet with how to do it ..... (communicate without a larynx) ..... and that's how he taught himself.  

Mr. Herr in Lancaster, PA

Because of his experience in being a self-trained esophageal speaker,  he went on to teach more than 200 other esophagectomees after his surgery.  In 1963 Mr. Herr was given a grant by the Lancaster County unit of the American Cancer Society to attend a conference at Indiana University School of Medicine to learn new ideas and methods of teaching laryngectomees how to speak and was later certified by the Cancer Society as an insrutctor.  Two years later he founded the Red Rose Nu-Voice Club.  He won numerous awards including the Lancaster Sertoma Club's "Service to Mankind" award in 1973 and went on to win the top award from the Central Pennsylvania District of 16 clubs.  Many of us have relatives who are well-known for one reason or another, but Jerry had an uncle who was a true hero to those disabled by losing their "voice box".  He used his personal experiences, his compassion and good humor to console and teach laryngectomees how to speak.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.