We honor here members, friends and supporters of the American Council of the Blind who have impacted our lives in many wonderful ways. If you would like to submit a notice for this column, please include as much of the following information as possible.
Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate)
City of residence (upon passing)
State/province of residence (upon passing)
Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person)
Occupation
Date of death (day if known, month, year)
Age
ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees)
Deaths that occurred more than six months ago cannot be reported in this column.
Walter Spillum
Jan. 12, 1928 - April 28, 2015
Walter Spillum, founder of Hibikinokai (the Echo Society), passed away April 28 at the age of 87 in Tokyo, Japan.
Since 1998, Walter’s guiding hand and vision created and nurtured Hibikinokai (the Echo Society) as a non-profit dedicated to teaching the English language and computer skills to the disabled, elderly and general public for improved communication. He worked tirelessly to promote inclusion of the disabled and elderly in society, and to further independent living, transportation for people in wheelchairs, and the inclusion of the blind and others with disabilities.
Walter was active in the operations of Hibikinokai up until March 15 when he fell ill and was taken to the hospital. Walter is irreplaceable, yet it is his wish that Hibikinokai continue, for everybody.
Walter is survived by his brother, Jack Spillum.
Hibikinokai held a memorial service on May 3 to celebrate Walter’s life.