On June 21, 2007, America lost another member of the revered “Band of Brothers,” the courageous young paratroopers from Easy Company’s 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, who were dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy on June 6, 1944. Warren Hanna, paratrooper, inventor, instructor, entrepreneur and advocate for the hard of hearing, passed away at 87 years of age.
Unlike most of his comrades, Warren survived Normandy but, at 23, he lost most of his hearing. Unable to return to the battlefield, Warren became a “deaf” parachute jump instructor, initiating tests and development sections in both the 82nd and 11th Airborne. Warren soon invented a quick-release hook for parachute harnesses that the Army patented.
Later in 1960, armed with $400, a technical degree, practical experience and a vision, Warren launched Worcester Air Conditioning Company, which has since grown into one of the largest commercial air conditioning companies in the Northeast.
Always eager to embark on a new mission, in 1986 he founded Hard of Hearing Advocates (HOHA), a proactive, assertive consumer group. With Warren at the helm, HOHA sought better hearing aids at more affordable prices, while also focusing on the emotional and life-changing impact of hearing loss. With typical no-nonsense gusto, Warren confronted the industry and professionals, lobbying for change.
I first met Warren in the mid-80s when Hearing Health magazine was in its infancy. We were among a handful of people with hearing loss at a Dallas conference for hearing healthcare professionals and we became instant allies. He understood the need for a publication designed to educate people with hearing loss and quickly became one of the magazine’s strongest, most loyal supporters. Over the years, Warren contributed many practical articles for our readers.
Many years have passed since I last saw Warren, yet our correspondence and friendship spanned over two decades. He never mentioned his role in WWII, nor any other of his many achievements, for that matter. It was only after reading his wife’s moving tribute that I realized how much he had accomplished in his 87 years.
Warren and his wife Patricia were practically newlyweds, married only six years. He often expressed how fortunate he was to finally have found “my Patricia,” as he affectionately called her.
For this tribute, I had hoped to find a picture of Warren as a paratrooper. An e-mail response from Warren’s long-time assistant, Janet Keeler, explained why a photo of his heroic past eluded me, despite an intense search. Janet wrote: “Warren lived in the present (and future), not in the past. He sometimes commented that many people of his generation spend so much of their time living in the past, not looking to the future, and that was not his way. He could not wait for the new iPhone to come out – wanted to be one of the first to have it.”
During the 20 years I knew Warren, his goals never wavered. Even as his emphysema was worsening, merely months ago, he fired off an e-mail with “Help Me Please” in the subject line. He was still seeking creative ways to bring hard-of-hearing people together as advocates of change for improved quality of life.
Although Warren saw only some progress toward his goals fulfilled, he left us with a plan that HOHA will continue under the direction of Janet Keeler.
I have written many articles for Hearing Health over the years but this tribute to Warren Hanna has been the most difficult. While coming to grips with the loss of my friend, mentor and passionate advocate for people with hearing loss, Tom Brokow’s book, The Greatest Generation, came to mind.
The passing of Warren Hanna marks the loss of yet another unsung hero from The Greatest Generation. And people with hearing loss have lost an unwavering champion who died still hoping to rally the troops.
For more information:
Hard of Hearing Advocates
245 Prospect Street
Framingham, MA 01701
508.875.8662
508.875.0145 Fax
www.hohadvocates.org
hoha@charter.net
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