Nansemond-Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Newspapers.....Luter, Bennett L., 1960 

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Man Who Should Know Says Handicapped Do Fine Work 

BY WESTBROOK FOWLER 

  Although deaf and dumb, William A. Black, shoe repairman at American Shoe 
Rebuilders, does exceptional work, says his employer B.L. Luter. 

  Luter, owner of the shop, joins this week with the Suffolk Committee for 
Employment of the Physicaly Handicapped, in urging Suffolk employers to hire 
physically handicapped.  Handicapped himself, he is pleased to recognize Oct. 
2-8 as national Physically Handicapped Week. 

  A native of Southampton County, Luter was paralyzed from the waist down when 
he was barely nine years old.  At the time, he he says, doctors were unable to 
diagnosis his case, but today they say he had infantile paralysis. 

  "Since then I haven't been able to use my legs," he says, "and I can't move 
around much."  Remarkably enough, however, he does an admirable job on every 
shoe he repairs. 

  LUTER SAYS he learned his trade himself and began working with John Ervin 
Mumford [sic; Irvin Munford] in Wakefield.  "He had a shop right behind the 
Post Office.  While I was there we used a needle and thread to sew our soles 
on.  You can sew 50 by machine, you know, while you sew one by hand." 

  In 1927 he came to Suffolk and opened a shop next to the Melito Lunch at 145 
S. Main St.  Owner James Melito had too much room, he says, so he divided his 
shop with a partition and let Luter move into the other side. 

  "By 1930 Melito wanted to expand and I needed more room too, so I moved to 
the shop I have now at 139 S. Main St.  I was doing all my work by hand then 
later equipped the shop with modern machinery." 

  Business grew and Luter needed help.  In February, 1959, Black saw his 
newspaper and applied for the job.  Together - Luter doing small repairs and 
Black at the machines - they make an efficient team.  Melvin Pritchard, of 
Suffolk, has been helping for seven or eight years. 

  Black says he learned shoe repairing at the Virginia School for the Deaf and 
Blind in Staunton, where he graduated in 1923.  It was during his four and a 
half years there that he met his wife.  She also is deaf and dumb. 

  Born in Alberene, he lives now at 522 Elliott Ave., Portsmouth.  The Blacks 
have two boys and girls.  All are deaf, but one of them can speak. 

  Before coming to Suffolk, Black worked at the Miller Shoe Shop at Wards 
Corner, Norfolk.  He's happier with the job here he says, and commutes back 
and forth from Portsmouth every day. 

  Profits grew in his business, Luter says, until he was finally able to buy 
his own home at 336 E. Pinner St.  Married to a widow with three boys, he had 
one daughter who lives now in Winchester. 

  SUCH ARE THE success stories of two of Suffolk's handicapped workers.  This 
week the committee for their employment is asking all employers to help make 
their success a reality for other people physically disabled and give them any 
job they can fill. 

  Mrs. G.L. Elmore, committee chairman, says Suffolk High School Key Club boys 
will be distributing Physically Handicapped Week posters.  This week's 
activities will be followed on October 15 by the fall clothing drive for the 
Tri-County Workshop. 

  Donations of clothing and other articles will be used by the physically 
handicapped employed there and conditioned for re-sale.  All profits from 
sales go into their salaries and workshop operating expenses.  A branch store 
opened recently in downtown. 

[photo, captioned:] 
  B.L. Luter and William A. Black, both with physical handicaps, make an 
excellent working team at American Shoe ReBuilders, 139 S. Main St.  Pictured 
above Luter, owner, mends a shoe while Black works at his right.  Melvin 
Pritchard helps out at the machines. 


Bennett Littleton LUTER, owner of American Shoe ReBuilders, Suffolk, 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 38, No. 235, Tues., Oct. 4, 1960, p. 3 

His obits ("Suffolk News-Herald," June 13 & 15, 1962) are posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/isleofwight/obits/l360b1ob.txt 


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file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/news/19601004nh.txt