Sue Thomas (May 24, 1950 – December 13, 2022) was an American author and former FBI agent, who was the first
deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...
person to work as an undercover specialist doing
lip-reading of suspects.
Early life
Thomas was born on May 24, 1950, in
Boardman, Ohio
Boardman Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 40,213 at the 2020 census. A suburb directly south of Youngstown, it is the second largest municipality in the Youngstown–Warren ...
.
At the age of 18 months, she became profoundly deaf; the reason is not definitely known.
[ At the age of seven, Thomas became the youngest Ohio State Champion free-style skater in skating history.] Speech therapists helped her develop her voice, and she also became an expert lip reader.
Thomas graduated from Springfield College
Springfield College is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It confers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
It is known as the birthplace of basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor J ...
in with a degree in political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and international affairs.[
]
Career in the FBI
At the FBI, Thomas started out as a fingerprint examiner, then she became a lip-reader for an undercover surveillance team.[ Thomas spent four years working for the FBI, from 1979 to 1983.][
]
Writing
In 1990, Thomas wrote her autobiography entitled ''Silent Night'', which became the basis for the TV series to follow. This book begins when she lost her hearing at 18 months and chronicles her life all the way through to her resignation from the FBI. The continuing story of her life is called ''Staying In The Race'', where Thomas shares stories about living with multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
.
TV series
In 2002, the TV series '' Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye,'' created jointly by Dave Alan Johnson and Gary R. Johnson, premiered on the Pax TV
Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented ente ...
first-run syndication network. Inspired by Thomas' unique job for the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
, the weekly drama helped to bring more awareness to the lives and abilities of those with physical challenges. The series starred actress Deanne Bray
Deanne Bray (born May 14, 1971) is an American actress. Bray was born deaf and is bilingual in American Sign Language and English.
Early Life and Education
Bray was born in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California and has spent most of her life in ...
, who is herself deaf, and reads lips like Thomas, and it was loosely based on Thomas' real experiences. At its peak, the series was watched by more than 2.5 million viewers in the United States, and it was syndicated to 60 nations. In September 2009, the show began airing on Gospel Music Channel
UP TV (stylized as UPtv; formerly GMC TV and originally Gospel Music Channel) is an American basic cable television network that was founded to have a focus on gospel music. It has expanded into family-friendly original movies, series, and special ...
.
In addition to Bray, the cast of ''Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye'' included actors Yannick Bisson
Yannick Denis Bisson (born May 16, 1969) is a Canadian film and television actor and director best known to international audiences for playing Detective William Murdoch on the series ''Murdoch Mysteries''.
Early life
Bisson was born in Montrea ...
, Rick Peters
Rick Peters (born June 1, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actor. He has appeared in several films and numerous television shows, and is perhaps best known for his role as Australian Bobby Manning in '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye''. He also p ...
, Mark Gomes, Tara Samuel, Ted Atherton
Ted Atherton is a Canadian actor. He is best known as Myles Leland III in the TV series '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye''.
Early life
He moved with his family to Scarborough, Ontario when he was 13. He went to the University of Toronto and obtained a bac ...
and Enuka Okuma
Enuka Vanessa Okuma (; born September 20, 1976) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as detective Traci Nash in the Global/ ABC police drama series, ''Rookie Blue'' (2010–2015). Okuma is also known for her work on the Canadian televis ...
. A golden retriever who responded to the name of Jesse stood in during the run of the program for Thomas' real golden retriever, who responded to the name of Levi. Marilyn Stonehouse served as the chief producer for the Pebblehut Productions company, through which ''Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye'' was produced.
Sue Thomas appeared in two episodes: "Billy the Kid (aka: Question Mark)" and the series finale, "Ending and Beginnings".
Personal life
In 2001, Thomas was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
. In 2020, she was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
, though the following year, she said she was cancer-free. Thomas died on December 13, 2022.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Sue
1950 births
2022 deaths
20th-century American memoirists
21st-century American memoirists
American deaf people
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents
People from Boardman, Ohio
People with multiple sclerosis
Springfield College (Massachusetts) alumni
Writers from Youngstown, Ohio