Judy Kuster, a true pioneer for the quiet millions

A few years ago I met a woman at Minnesota State University named Judy Kuster. When I heard about her work, I knew I'd never forget her.

This image says a lot for people like me.

Judy teaches in the Communication Disorders department. She specializes in stuttering, and helping people who stutter. You've heard them, before. And probably laughed at them. Mel Tillis, Jimmy from South Park, Porky Pig ... Robb Murray. Yep. And while I certainly don't carry the kind of celebrity clout Jimmy does, I'm still one of them, and I thought I'd shed a little light on something I'm sure most of you never think about.

Most people who know me don't know that I stutter. But they've probably said to themselves at one time or another after listening to me, "Boy that guy sure mumbles a lot."

I'm one of the lucky ones. True, not a day goes by that I don't encounter a situation where, instead of saying what I want, I either avoid saying anything or figure out a different way to say something. But there are stutterers out there who have it a lot worse than I do.

I went to elementary school with a boy whose stutter was much more pronounced than mine. He got laughed at a little, but not too bad. People are generally pretty forgiving. I've seen people in public with severe stutters. I feel bad for them. But not the way you might. I feel bad for them because I get it. What you see in that moment of dysfluency is just the tip of the iceberg, to abuse a cliche. What happened in that person's mind beforehand, and the shame he will feel afterward are much worse. Throw in the impact those kinds of situations have on the future, and it's easy for me to see how stuttering can change a person's life.

We're in pretty good company, you know. There's a long, long list of prominent folks who, like me, learned to live with their stutter (for most people it's really not something you can cure, or just convince someone to "slow down.") There's James Earl Jones and Marilyn Monroe. Carly Simon and Samuel L. Jackson. Noel Gallagher from the rock band Oasis, Bruce Willis, John Updike.

But this wasn't supposed to be about me. It's my blog, and all, but I'm writing this to give a shout out to Judy.

Since 1998 she's been doing these online conferences to raise awareness about stuttering, and to give people who stutter a resource, a place to mingle virtually with others who stutter. She's done this work quietly and consistently and, in her area of expertise, she's a giant. A pioneer. An advocate. A friend.

So if you get a chance, take a few minutes and stroll through the Stuttering Home Page. She's archived all the conferences (hint: check out 2001) and gathered volumes of information about stuttering. Chances are that, unless you stutter, you might not spend a whole lot of time there. But for those of use who do, Judy's work means a lot to us.