SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf in Big Spring, Texas, holds the distinction of being the first—and so far the only—postsecondary institution for Deaf people to be founded and headed by a Deaf person—Douglas Burke. A veteran administrator who established numerous programs for Deaf people (including the Miss Deaf America Pageant), Burke saw a definite need for a self-contained program for Deaf students in Texas and surrounding states who weren’t “Big Three” material, had learning disabilities, or simply wanted to attend a college-level program nearby. The story of SWCID’s founding is one of extraordinary luck—or, as Burke preferred to see it, one miracle after another. SWCID recently renamed its administration building in Dr. Burke’s memory, while honoring his wife, Beatrice Burke, herself a veteran professor and administrator.