“Larry will continue to guide us, and we will continue to do our best to make him proud.”

December 2, 2020 — Vancouver, Washington

In our 16 years as an organization, we have had the pleasure of meeting and working beside so many inspiring and impressive people. Our industry, while vast in the communities it serves, is a relatively small one, allowing us to create real and meaningful relationships with our Members over the years. Sometimes, as it happens in life, we lose people — people who made a profound impact on our company and upon ourselves. Recently, we lost a founding Audigy Member and audiology pioneer. While his family and our community mourns, we also want to celebrate his life, his accomplishments, and the way in which he helped shape our mission through his influence. Larry Hutto, we were so lucky to have you as a part of the Audigy community. Thank you. Here’s our tribute to you.

How does one sum up the impact of a person’s life in mere words when this person loved and was loved in such a way that they left an inimitable imprint upon everything they touched? Born in Texas and raised all over the world, Charles Larry Hutto is one such figure.

A man whose passion for life manifested itself in his many interests, from bluegrass to astronomy to traveling across the United States with his beloved wife, Kate, in their trusty RV. Larry and Kate made their mark on the world in a number of ways, most importantly through the abundant and beautiful family they created, surrounding themselves with children and grandchildren with whom they could share their many passions. And, as anyone who was lucky enough to be close with Larry knows, when he was passionate about something, he gave his entire self to that interest — to learn it, to understand it, and, in many ways, to become it.

So it was some 50 years ago when Larry gave himself to the world of audiology and hearing care. After what he described as a bewildering experience witnessing how a misdiagnosis can close the doors of opportunity for people with severe hearing conditions, Larry forged a path in an effort not only to keep those doors open but to change the very perception of hearing loss and hearing care itself. Larry graduated from the University of Maryland with high honors, completed graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, earned his Doctor of Audiology degree from the Arizona School of Health Sciences, and, proudly, was chosen to initiate the first hospital hearing-screening program at Anne Arundel General Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Due in large part to Larry’s efforts, it is now, in most states, law that all babies must have their hearing screened before leaving the hospital so that they may get the care they need and deserve.

In the Audigy world, as he has in our industry, Larry has always loomed large, not just because he and Kate built one of the most impressive private-practice audiology clinics in our profession, but because he did so with a sense of generosity and of community, and with a passion for continuing to move audiology forward in an effort to always deliver a higher level of care. If Audigy were to have our own Mt. Rushmore, there’s no doubt that Larry’s face would be there. As much as we existed to support him, he was there to support us. He was always generous with his time and his guidance. His belief in our mission was the fuel that kept our tanks full more than you might imagine. Audigy is what it is due to Larry’s insight and influence. We are forever grateful to have shared so much time with him, his family, and his team over the years.

We are heartbroken by Larry’s passing. There will forever be a hole in our community due to this loss, but our goal is to fill it with memories — memories of his laughter, his wisdom, and perhaps a moment or two of well-deserved tough love. Larry will continue to guide us, and we will continue to do our best to make him proud through each and every thing that we do. Kate, Mariya, Julie, Ernest, and family, we offer you our deepest condolences during this difficult time. You’re in our thoughts and prayers. Always. Audigy family, please join us in celebrating the life and work of Dr. Charles Larry Hutto. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather; a premier audiologist; a brilliant business owner; and, we are proud to say, our friend. May he rest in peace.