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Compared with other well-established fields, audiology is a relative newcomer. Its roots grew out of the field of experimental psychology with names such as S.S. Stevens, Raymond Carhart, Hallowell Davis, Harvey Fletcher, and Jim Jerger. Unfortunately, we just heard of the passing of Dr. Jim Jerger and Dr. Charles (Chuck) Berlin- we have two items…
Todd Ricketts. Wow, where to start? Internationally known for his research, publications, lectures and professional leadership. Highly respected in academia; one of the cornerstones maintaining Vanderbilt’s #1 national audiology ranking for 20 consecutive years. His colleagues know him as a clear-thinking, level-headed, no-nonsense guy who can always be counted on for his integrity and loyalty.
I know that this sounds like the title of a kid’s book – Todd and the Clothes Dryer – but when I think of Dr. Todd Ricketts, I think of a clothes dryer. Why a clothes dryer and not a hearing aid, you might be wondering? Todd has a big heart, strong arms, and a kind spirit, he volunteered to help us move. I will never forget seeing Dr. Todd Ricketts carrying my clothes dryer out of the front door of my old house. Growing tired of waiting for the dolly to be available, he’d wrapped his two long arms around the dryer, carried it out of the house, and eventually onto the moving truck.
It’s been such a long time since I first met or heard of Todd, I actually don’t remember when it would have been. It just seems like he’s always been there as a cornerstone of the hearing aid research community. Thank you Todd for your work, for your constant encouragement and words of wisdom, for getting me out of a smoke-filled bar in Amsterdam when I was pregnant (“We gotta get you outta here!”)
Back in 2001 when applying to graduate schools, I read a short published piece in The ASHA Leader titled, “Digital Hearing Aids: ‘Current State of the Art’” by then assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Todd Ricketts. I was 21 years old at the time and somehow just knew I had to put in a graduate school application in hopes of studying and training with this individual.
Watching Todd rise through the ranks to a tenured professor with an endowed chair has been wonderful! However, those of you who know Todd also know that he has never sought titles, recognition, or honorifics for his work – those kudos flow easily and naturally to him because of the quality of his research.
When Marshall Chasin, Steve Aiken, and Erin Picou asked if I’d like to contribute to a journal issue honoring the many contributions Dr. Todd Ricketts has made to our field, it was an easy yes. I’ve known and worked with Todd over a ~25 year span and he has “towered” in them all.
What can I say about Todd Ricketts, professionally, that is not best summarized by Google Scholar or in his biography on the Vanderbilt University website? He has had an excellent career with more great contributions to come. What I would rather discuss, and are not so visible, are his tremendous contributions behind the scenes and the positive impact he has had on the lives and careers of his friends, his impact on my career journey and what he means to someone like me.
For the very few unfamiliar with his history, Todd was born near me, in Muscatine, Iowa. He moved to Iowa City for college in 1985, stayed for his master’s degree, and finished his PhD in 1994. History might suggest he studied with me, but the reality was that we studied together, having joined the faculty at the University of Iowa myself as a fresh PhD in 1988. As his clinic supervisor for a few years, I can attest that the patients loved this tall male, with his nervous laugh. And from his clinical experiences, he found lots to question and eventually study in his subsequent career.
From time to time, CanadianAudiologist.ca dedicates a special issue to someone in our field who has devoted their life to research that betters the lives of hard-of-hearing people. But for this, we thought we would take a page out of Frank Capra’s 1942 movie with Jimmy Stewart called It’s a Wonderful Life. In this movie,…