We continued on to day two of our two-day Texas Deaf club tour when we stopped in Austin, home of the Texas School for the Deaf. Austin is a beautiful mid-sized city in the heart of Texas and frequently wins “Best Place to Live” awards. While the school is considered by many as the heart of the Austin Deaf community, people say we can’t overlook their Deaf club as well. It is the largest Deaf club we have visited on this tour and to our knowledge in terms of land size. The three acres the Austin Deaf Club sits on boasts a barn and a large covered deck in addition to a clubhouse complete with bar and plenty of open space and trees.

We parked our RV with absolutely no problem in a full parking lot and approached the building where five Harley Davidsons were parked outside. They were still there from an afternoon rally with more than 30 Deaf bikers when they officially started Austin’s first Deaf Harley Davidson club. More than 150 people gathered that afternoon for the event, and now, hours after the event, there were still 100 strong at the Deaf club. They were all playing Tingo, the same popular form of Bingo that can be found at just about every single Deaf club in the nation. We were welcomed by Rod Williamson and Doug Adkins, both of whom have strong ties to the club.

Rod Williamson was born and raised in Austin and currently serves on the AAD board. A product of a Deaf family, he quickly recognized the importance and fun of Deaf clubs and joined for the first time when he was 17 years old. He saw the purchase of its present three acre property in 1972 for $9,000, and landscaped the wooded area into the beautiful place that it is today. Before its clubhouse was built, Rod remembers living in a trailer on the land and gathering for Friday night poker games inside the crude barn just to keep the spirit of the Deaf club alive. All the trees and its stumps, as well as three acres worth of beautiful Texas landscaping were all done with the sweat and blood of Deaf club members who wanted a great place to gather. The present members take personal pride in the hard work that they have done, and it only makes it an even more important place to cherish.

We were then led inside to the clubhouse where Doug Adkins took over our tour. Doug has been the house manager and bartender for the last five years, and he says that basically the only thing he wants to do is make sure that everyone who comes in the club after a long week of work can kick back and really enjoy themselves. Many ASL students from local universities often visit the club to satisfy requirements for their classes and they are often found coming back on their own time for a few beers and to talk with the down to Earth people at the club. While they are regularly open on Friday and Saturday nights, many special events are hosted at the club during other times. Their biggest event is without a doubt TSD’s homecoming, when more than 800 people gather for a full night of socializing, games, and partying. While answering all of our questions about their club, Doug had his hands full serving drinks to all the customers at the bar, the club’s sole source of revenue (as with almost every other Deaf club). We had no problem waiting while Doug mixed up drinks, as we took that chance to play pool and talk with some of the club members. They are very down-to-Earth grass roots people who love the Texas way of life. Earrings and ponytails among the 40-year old people there are commonplace, and it seemed to me as if every single person in that room were brother and sister. The people there embody the true spirit of the Deaf club, and practice what they preach.

We finally met president Fred Newberry who was busy running around the entire night keeping the Tingo game running smoothly. Fred’s term as president is coming to a close, but he will never stop being a member of the Deaf club. All his life, he has been a member of some of the largest Deaf clubs in America including in New York and Chicago. The first thing he does every time he moves to a brand new town is join their Deaf club because “they give me so much.”

“While ours is a strong one,” explained Newberry,” our sole goal is still to keep our club going and running.” They have heard of and seen too many cases where clubs have closed their doors due to dwindling memberships. Their biggest scare came in the ’80’s when the city almost paved a highway through their property. After a long standoff of refusing to sell their property, and countless lobbying from the local Deaf community, they finally won the fight and have remained open since. Membership has still dwindled since, but they remain safe for the time being with 220 members. Fred also hopes to someday buy a big screen TV to add to the club, because he thinks that it would draw larger crowds on Super Bowl Sunday and other events. It is clear to me that the club’s goal isn’t to think big, win big. It’s pretty much to think small, stay alive. Before introducing us to President Fred Newberry, Doug told me that, “While we don’t have many fancy things here, all of us appreciate what we have.”

And that goes a long way.