William F. House, MD

Tribute Page

Dr. House sitting at an operating microscope with observer tube and camera (he and Jack Urban developed) and holding a cochlear implant internal coil.

William F. House, M.D., who pioneered the cochlear implant that allows the deaf to hear, died at his home in Aurora, Oregon on Friday, December 7. He was 89 years old.  Based on his innovative treatments of deafness, acoustic tumors and tumors arising from the base of the skull, he has often been referred to as the Father of Neurotology.

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Submit your tribute below.

Carol and Ed Saunders

We grew up in Whittier with Bill House and went through the Whittier schools with Bill from kindergarten through the first year of Whittier College before the start of WWII. Later Ed was a patient of his at the House Institute and in 1983 Bill removed a large acoustic neuroma from behind’s Ed right ear. We will both be eternally grateful to Bill for saving Ed’s life and for his wonderful skill and care. We were saddened to hear of his death, and felt that we had lost a long-time friend. Bill’s contributions to the world are legendary and he will be missed and long remembered.
Consuelo Wild

As I was preparing for a new CI surgery at UNC in NC my otologist mentioned that Dr. Bill House had died. In the many years since I last saw Dr. Bill I continued to remember him so vividly. Dr Bill became our family otologist when I was 9 years old. He treated 4 generations of my family. I was his 64th CI patient. I was privilege to be among a number of Deaf he hired to work at the House Ear Institute. A doctor with a heart he saw the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as people with talents, skills and understanding to know what Deaf needed and allowed to be everything they could be. The gift of a CI was his medical invention but his love, belief and dedication to us was equally precious Gift to many of us. He made a difference in our lives. David, Karen, Dr. John and all the House family, my prayers are with you all.
Sandi Carroll-King

After working with the House Drs. and seeing the amazing work on a daily basis, I am so humbled to have worked for such a great legacy, and such great people.

Dr. House was always one of the nicest people to run into. I always enjoyed his visits, and he seemed to be at home when he was in-house.

The fantastic example he gave was beyond awesome. My thoughts and prayers go out to the House Family.

We all shall meet again. God Bless
Andres Sanchez Gil

I met him at the age of 10, friend of my father.
Now I´m an ENT resident, that wants to specialize in Neurotology, I really admire his work and him as a person.