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inda Bove was born on 1945, to two Deaf parents.  She grew up learning to speak ASL, and attended the New Jersey school for the Deaf.  After graduating, she attended Gallaudet University where she studied Library Science and performed in plays for fun.  One summer, she attended a program set up by the National Theater for the Deaf, and decided to join their company after graduating from Gallaudet instead of becoming a librarian as she had previously planned to.  She met a man named Ed Waterstreet who was also a member of the National Theater for the Deaf company and they were married in 1970. 

When the National Theater for the Deaf was asked to do some work for Sesame Street, Linda was excited to join them, and when Sesame Street decided they wanted to create a position for her, she was thrilled.  Linda became Linda the Librarian to millions of children around the United States.  She was able to show hearing people a positive portrayal of a proud Deaf woman who was capable of anything.  She also taught American Sign Language to children through the show, and published several books designed for teaching ASL to kids.  Her role as Linda the Librarian lasted from 1971 – 2003, and brought Linda the distinction of holding the longest roll of any Deaf person in the entertainment industry. 

In between her work on Sesame Street, Linda also appeared on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow, and on Happy Days.  She also understudied the roll of Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God.  In 1991, Linda and her husband founded Deaf West Theater in Los Angeles.  Deaf West puts on plays and musicals, performed simultaneously in ASL and spoken English.  They won several awards for their adaption of Big River, and premiered the first revival of Pippin since the 1970’s at the Mark Taper Forum in 2008. 

Today Linda continues to perform on the stage, sometimes with her husband Ed.  She is also a big supporter of an organization called the Non Traditional Casting Project, which encourages the casting of minorities and people with perceived disabilities.  Through her work in spreading the knowledge of sign into mainstream communities, and also by providing a positive roll for deaf children everywhere, Linda has been a great ambassador for Deaf Culture.