[Nfbf-l] {Spam?} Missouri School For The Blind: First school for the blind in the U.S. to use Braille

[Alan Dicey]

Missouri School For The Blind: First school for the blind in the U.S. to use 
Braille
Warning: This is quite long!
Dear Friends,
I hope you find the following historical narrative of the Missouri School 
for the Blind just as fascinating as I did. A friend sent this to me, so I 
wanted to pass it along. Of special interest to me was the fact that the 
Missouri school was the first school for the blind in the U.S. to use 
Braille.
With Best Regards,
God Bless,
Alan
Plantation, Florida

By: Patti Schonlau, Written in 2001

The year was 1850. Millard Fillmore was President of the United States. The 
country was capsized over the question of whether California should be 
admitted to the Union as a free or slave state. Henry Clay, the Great 
Pacificator, was working out his last great compromise on the issue in order 
to preserve the Union. The state of Missouri was 30 years old. Austin King 
was its governor. The picturesque era of river transportation was in its 
heyday, and Saint Louis was the hub of the vast system. Boats of all kinds 
were constantly dropping anchor at the wharf. One day in early Autumn a 
steamer docked and an ordinary-looking young man was jostled down the 
gangplank among the departing passengers.

A few days later, Mr. Ely Whelan appeared in the office of Dr. Simon 
Pollack, an outstanding ophthalmologist of Saint Louis. He revealed his plan 
to establish a school for the education of the blind in the great midwest. 
The good doctor was kind but skeptical. However, he offered to cooperate by 
introducing Mr. Whelan to a beautiful and intelligent fourteen-year-old 
blind girl named Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor was the daughter of one 
of his friends.

In a house on Chestnut between Sixth and Seventh Streets in St. Louis, Ely 
Whelan rented two rooms. There the first beginnings of a school for the 
blind was created, having four people--the teacher and his three pupils, 
Elizabeth Taylor, Daniel Wilkinson and Lizzie Van Zaklen. They learned to 
trace out the alphabet, words, sentences and paragraphs in raised print. A 
kindly music teacher, Mr. Henry Robyn, devised a method by which they could 
read music; and a kindly seamstress was teaching the girls to sew. In the 
meantime, there was barely enough money to pay the rent.

Mr. Whelan realized only too well the gravity of the situation. His and Dr. 
Pollack's efforts to solicit money from compassionate citizens of the time 
had met with little success. Both men knew their only hope to secure the 
funds they needed to establish the school on a sound basis was to put the 
matter squarely before the state legislature. So Mr. Whelan decided to 
demonstrate his pupils' progress before the House of Representatives. Dr. 
Pollack made a trip to Jefferson City to arrange for an audience and to 
secure lodging places for Mr. Whelan and the pupils while they were in the 
town. This mission met with more success than Mr. Whelan had imagined. Not 
only had Dr. Pollack secured a date for the demonstration and lodging places 
for the children and himself, but he had even gotten the promise of a piano 
from a lady who lived near the capitol.

Although the appropriation bill was carried, the money did not become 
immediately available. In 1851, Mr. Whelan rented a house on Pine Street, 
where he taught his class until late in 1852. Generous Captain Andrew Harper 
gave him a five-year, rent-free lease on his three-story residence at 
Broadway and Howard Streets.

In 1854, Mr. Whelan purchased the site for a new building at 19th and Morgan 
and remained to see it well-established. In the meantime, Elizabeth Taylor 
had died, and Mr. Whelan felt that his work should take him elsewhere. He 
was replaced by Dr. John Chapin, son of the principal of the Pennsylvania 
School For The Blind in Philadelphia.

The year 1859 marked another important milestone of progress. Dr. Pollack, 
who was absent from the Board to make a trip to Europe, visited all of the 
most important schools for the blind, both in England and on the continent. 
In England, he was presented with a copy of "The Old Curiosity Shop" in 
Boston Print by Mr. Dickens. It was in Paris that he realized he had found 
something of real importance. It was a system of reading and writing 
developed by a blind Frenchman named Louis Braille. Louis Braille was 
teaching in the school for the blind in Paris. When he returned to St. 
Louis, Dr. Pollack introduced the method to Dr. Chapin and Mr. Robyn.

And so the Missouri Institute for the Education of the Blind was introduced 
to a new system of reading and writing. Missouri became the first school in 
the United States to use braille. The use of Braille grew painstakingly slow 
at first. Among other problems was the fact that there was no place to print 
the books. Each one had to be punched out by hand. Braille proved to be a 
wonderful help to students taking notes. A few books were accumulated. 
Professor Robyn saw its possibilities, and in a short time the music 
department had a file of music which could be used over and over again. He 
also devised a press by which copies could be reproduced faster.

The Civil War was not kind to the school. Appropriations were few and small. 
The state was torn by two warring factions which made travel to the outer 
districts slow and unsafe, even for those needing to go somewhere out of 
dire necessity. A small group of workers at the school hung together, cut 
expenses to the bone, and emerged still active and eager to get ahead in 
their work.

Although the years after the war were not as colorful as some of the other 
periods in the school's history, they were still very important links in its 
chain of progress.

In 1867, some blind girls were visiting Bellefontaine Farms. They had a 
great problem and they thought perhaps Mr. Yeatman, who was superintendent 
of that institution, might give them some advice. With Mr. Yeatman's help 
and the girls' courage, work began on the foundation of the Blind Girls' 
Home at 5235 Page Blvd. Other people grasped at the idea and worked, too. In 
1910, a Mrs. L. Culver gave the deed to the home to its Board of Directors.

In 1895 some of the older students founded an organization named the Society 
of the General Improvement and Higher Education for the Blind, which has 
reached national importance as the American Association of Workers for the 
Blind.

To some extent the school reflected the changing conditions of the post-war 
period, but in most respects the pupils who attended the Missouri Institute 
on Morgan Street were still the forgotten children. The institution was 
called the "Blind Asylum" until 1879 when its name legally became Missouri 
School for the Blind. Superintendent Chapin was succeeded by a Mr. Flemming, 
who was followed by Mr. Phales, Mr. Forester, Dr. James McWorkman in 1874, 
and Dr. Sibley in 1891. During this period the school staff struggled hard 
to keep things going, but they did not have a school that would see pleasant 
times by the standards of today.

In 1898 their prayers were answered. Mr. Samuel McKnight Green took over the 
duties of superintendent. He was a kindly and understanding man who had been 
on the faculty several years. The same year he became superintendent he 
married Miss Emma Lumpkin, one of the elementary teachers who had been with 
the school since 1889.

With the new administration and a new century also came a brighter hope that 
a new building might be a possibility. As early as 1890, the noise of the 
trains and the traffic rushing by the school on Morgan made it almost 
impossible for the teachers to make themselves heard in the classrooms. The 
problem was constantly laid before the state legislature. It was not until 
1903 that Mr. Green was satisfied with the passage of a bill which allowed 
the sale of the old building and the purchase of a new site. The amount 
appropriated for the purchase of the site and the construction of the new 
building was $150,000.

The year 1901 marked the school's 50th birthday. It had graduated 39 pupils 
since its founding, and that year there were over 100 enrolled. Mr. Green 
thought a golden anniversary celebration would be in order. To do justice to 
the occasion he had as speakers Dr. Pollack and Mr. James C. Jones. Both of 
these men were members of the school Board. A number of musical selections 
were rendered by pupils, teachers and Alumni. An original poem was presented 
by Miss Lily Hendrix of the class of 1884.

In 1904 the World's Fair was held in St. Louis. Missouri School for the 
Blind had a booth at the Fair showing a model school of the blind. This 
booth was one of the feature attractions. Mr. George Strattmann, manager of 
a book binding establishment, had five boys who were students at the 
Missouri School for the Blind to whom he had taught book craft to 
demonstrate their ability to do the work of binding braille books.

Tuesday, October 18th, 1904, was Helen Keller Day at the Fair. A great crowd 
of curious visitors marveled at the wonder of a deaf-blind woman who had 
overcome the handicaps of both blindness and deafness, learned to speak, and 
earned a degree from Radcliffe College.

The school soon saw the acknowledgement of Miss Keller's visit. The school 
received more interest from the public and liberal appropriations from the 
legislature for buildings and maintenance purposes.

In January, 1907, the Legislature passed a bill changing the age limits of 
admission, which had formally been ages nine to twenty-five, to the years of 
six and twenty, and also lengthening the time a pupil may attend school, 
from eight to twelve years. These long desired changes enabled us to begin 
training the blind child sooner, and to do more thorough work in the various 
departments. Formerly, a pupil was required to complete the high school, the 
musical and the handicraft courses and extras in eight years, which not only 
impaired the quality of the work performed but was too severe a strain upon 
the pupil.

The two-year cooking courses, added in February, 1908, to the girls' 
domestic science, aroused much interest. Miss Cory, who taught sewing and 
handicraft, taught this also. MSB installed equipment of cooking tables and 
drawers, and a complete set of utensils for five girls, as it was believed 
that would be as large a number as could be well handled at one time. We had 
lockers for extra utensils, refrigerator, and gas range, and five burners 
with protecting rail.

Though our first year in the new building on Magnolia was characterized by 
more severe illnesses than any previous twelve years, we had no deaths in 
the school. It was not until April, 1909, that one of our day pupils, 
Marshall Dawson, nearly seven years old, while riding in his express wagon 
at his home, ran into a standing horse and was instantly killed. He had a 
bright mind and gave promise of excellent development.

A survey was conducted to identify MSB's graduates from 1890 to 1909 who 
assumed occupations. Men: musicians, piano tuners, music teacher, 
broom-maker, lawyer, farmers, teamster, pool-room manager, lecturer, grocery 
store keeper, canvasser, conservatory student and those who were doing 
nothing. Ladies: music teacher, elocution teacher, knitter for department 
store, braille stereotyper, music supervisor, at home assistants and 
housewives.

The year 1911 was an outstanding year for several reasons. In April 
Professor J. D. Eliff of Missouri University, the State Examiner of approved 
high schools, paid a visit. Upon the recommendation to the committee of 
Approved High Schools, the University soon opened doors to graduates of the 
Missouri School for the Blind without an examination, and also offered 
credit for work in social studies. A department for the blind was 
established in the St. Louis Public Library. In November Miss Grace Saton 
Thompson founded the organization of Campfire Girls. It was the first 
organization of its kind in Missouri. It aroused considerable interest among 
the girls in Missouri School for the Blind and continued to grow until it 
was renamed Girl Scouts in 1931.

In 1914 a Mr. Boettger organized a group of Boy Scouts at the school. This 
organization also found much interest among the pupils. Boy Scouts 
eventually were divided into three groups: Cubs, Intermediate and Senior Boy 
Scouts. Scout awards have always been prized highly among the boys, and 
every scout has looked forward to that great day when he might achieve the 
ambition of all scouts, the rank of Eagle Scout.

In 1919 a Sight Conservation Department was opened for pupils who had too 
much vision to use braille as their means of reading and writing. This 
program was directed to those students having vision insufficient for using 
regular printed material. This idea soon caught the interest of some of the 
sighted schools in the city. Within a few years, several public and 
parochial schools had added such departments.

The year 1926 was the school's 75th birthday. Mr. Green held a diamond 
jubilee celebration, highlighted with a pageant of the history of the 
school, written by himself and directed by the head of the dramatics 
department. Our Alma Mater appeared during the final quarter century of MSB.

The history of the plaque in the auditorium lobby focuses on the dedication 
of Mr. Green. The plaque was presented to Mr. Green in February, 1933, at an 
occasion commemorating the 82nd anniversary of the school. It was a token of 
appreciation from his associates, pupils, and several organizations with 
whom he worked for the good of the school.

In 1943, the auditorium was remodeled, repaired and named for Mr. Green.

In 1946 and 1947, a wing on the west side of the building was added, housing 
a new library, typing room and music department.

In 1947 and 1948, Mr. George Lantz repaired and equipped one of the east 
rooms in the basement to be used as a den by the Girl Scouts.

In 1949, the Boy Scouts, inspired by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Conrad, repaired 
and equipped a Boy Scout Den in the west wing of the basement.

About the time of the centennial, a new wing was completed on the east side 
of the building housing a new Home Economics Department, bowling alley and 
swimming pool. Also completed was new floors, new lighting in the gyms, a 
wrestling room, and piano tuning department in the basement.

A wing on the northeast corner of the building, Collins Hall, is for the 
smallest children. It contains classrooms on the first floor and dormitories 
on the second. In the basement is a Student Center. It was named for Colonel 
Martin Collins, who was president of our Board of Advisors for a number of 
years.

The reconstruction of the front of the building was begun in 1958 and 
required almost two years to complete. Until then, the front of the school 
looked much as it did when the building was first occupied. The center of 
the building contained offices for the superintendent, administrative 
assistant, receptionists, and business manager on the first floor. On the 
second floor is the Health Center, and on the third and fourth floors are 
dormitories. Some of these dorms have been remodeled since then to take care 
of the needs of multi-handicapped students. To the east of the office area 
is a high school unit. On the first floor of the unit is a science classroom 
and lab, and on the second floor are classrooms for social studies, English 
and math. To the west was the superintendent's apartment. No teachers have 
lived in the building since 1968.

During the late 60's, a new auditorium, dining room, and expanded library, 
plus a remodeled music department were part of another building program. The 
auditorium is now across the hall from where the old auditorium was; it is 
much larger, and can be entered backstage from the music department. Across 
from the auditorium is a large dining room for the students. Over the dining 
room, the library was expanded.

In 1962 a multi-handicap program was started for children who are blind and 
who also have other problems.

The mobility program was begun in 1962.

In 1967, MSB was the first school for the blind to be accredited by the 
North Central Association of High Schools and Colleges.

1981 marked the 75th anniversary of the location of MSB which has been at 
3815 Magnolia Avenue.

The 1980's were under the direction of Superintendent, Mr. Louis Tutt. Mr. 
Tutt came to MSB in July of 1981. Mr. Tutt came from the Michigan School for 
the Blind. He was instrumental in developing the Multi-Handicap/Deaf-Blind 
and Outreach Departments.

Superintendent, Dr. Yvonne Howze came to MSB in October of 1990 and MSB 
continues to be under Dr. Howze's administration. Dr. Howze has widened 
MSB's horizons "beyond success to superior performance". She has been 
successful in getting MSB known literally throughout the world. We have 
enjoyed hosting foreign exchange students as well as having our students 
travel abroad. Dr. Howze has focused on keeping the Missouri School for the 
Blind "alive and well". Under Dr. Howze's direction, MSB's braille students 
have gained national recognition through Braille Readers Are Leaders.

In 1993 the academic curriculum for students in grades K-12 became aligned 
with the Missouri Show-Me-Standards, which are derived from the Outstanding 
Schools Act of 1993. The standards are based on the belief that the success 
of Missouri's students depends on a solid foundation to apply knowledge and 
skills to the kinds of problems and decisions they will encounter after 
graduation.

In 1998, MSB received the Missouri Quality Award. This was the first time 
the MQA recognized a K-12 program, a school for the blind or a member of the 
public sector. The MQA exemplifies MSB's commitment to providing a continuum 
of educational options and serving as a statewide resource center. MSB 
continues to move beyond success ... to superior performance!

The following five identified key themes have provided the guiding 
principles for carrying out MSB's mission of around-the-clock quality, and 
for pursuing its vision of becoming the statewide resource center of 
excellence.

1. Develop, implement, and fund a program of core services which provide 
24-hour quality educational, residential and recreational services 
consistent with individual students' interests and needs;

2. Support the continuing educational and lifelong learning needs of all 
stakeholders, and assume a leadership role for statewide training in the 
field of blindness for professionals and paraprofessionals;

3. Maintain a balanced budget;

4. Promote communication, cooperation and inter-agency collaboration of all 
stakeholders in decision-making and program evaluation processes;

5. Conduct ongoing research to determine program effectiveness and 
efficiency, impact on student and staff learning, parental involvement and 
delight, and results of interagency efforts.

* A note regarding our Alma Mater: Evidence seems to indicate that it was 
brought here from the east, by one of our former music teachers named Miss 
Hamilton and was being sung in 1914.Alma Mater

Verse 1:

Come raise a song to Alma Mater
As from her temples we repair;
And on her alter lay our offering
Ere we leave her tender care.


Chorus:
Hail, MSB, Our Alma Mater,
To our mother, tried and true;
May we ever stand at her own right hand
And do what she bids us to do.

Verse 2:
Where'er the tide of life may bear us,
Although we wander far from home
Whenever Alma Mater calls us
May we hear her voice and come.
(Repeat Chorus.)And so it has been through the years, staff and students 
have come and gone, some of them a part of our program for many years, and 
others only briefly. But however long they remained, they became a part of 
MSB, and MSB became a part of them.

The following information and treasured memories have been generously shared 
by alumni.

"Strolling Through The Years"

Bill Benson
1930's
Mr. Harold McDonald was school principal in the late 1920's. "Mack" as he 
was affectionately known by the students and his friends, was in Columbia in 
the summer of 1930. He was going to summer school doing some work toward 
furthering his degree. The date was July 3rd. It was a very hot night. Some 
friends asked him to take a ride to get away from the heat. At first, he 
said no, but finally he was persuaded to go with them for a ride. They went 
for a drive out in a rural area. The driver of the car ran off the shoulder 
of the road and the car overturned. The driver was not severely hurt, but 
the passenger sitting in the middle was hurt pretty badly. Mr. McDonald 
lived for only one day, and then died as a result of the accident.

At the time, he was engaged to Betty Carpenter. She was out of state when 
she received the news and was unable to return right away. Mr. McDonald's 
death was quite tragic.

What we know today as the auditorium was referred to as the "chapel". School 
began each day with chapel at 8:00 a.m. The first period followed at 
approximately 8:20. There were five periods in the morning and all academic 
subjects were taught then. Everyone, high school students included, had a 
recess period between the second and third periods in the morning around 
9:45.

The school colors during the 1930's were red and white. The change to maroon 
and white was made in the 1940's.

In the 1930's breakfast was served at 7:00 a.m. If a student came to 
breakfast beyond 7:05, he/she simply was locked out of the dining room.

One of the favorite food items in the 1930's was a particular kind of 
biscuit. It was called an orange biscuit. It was filled with orange 
marmalade or some such orange flavoring, and considered by most of the 
students to be quite a delicacy.

There were several expressions popular with the students in the 1930's. One 
of them was "oh beast".
Cyclopes, being a one-eyed giant from Greek mythology, fascinated many of 
the kids. That name was occasionally used on one another for fun.
The 1932 school year was quite unique because school was held six days a 
week. Funds were short that year. The school year ended in April and started 
again in November.
In the 1930's the seventh and eighth grades were taught in alternating 
years. That meant that sometimes the class might have the eighth grade 
before it had the seventh grade.
Regarding table grace: In the early 30's, a few moments of silence was 
observed, but in the later 30's, written table blessings were read by 
various students.

1940's
After lunch Monday thru Friday, students were required to take a walk around 
the block. Girls had to go in one direction, the boys in the other. The 
girls were required to turn to the right and the boys were required to turn 
to the left.
During the mid-40's before the library addition, study hall was held in the 
downstairs classrooms from seven to eight Monday thru Thursday nights.
During the 40's meals were often quite predictable in that the same meal was 
often served on the same day of the week. Friday lunches were among the most 
predictable of all. You could usually expect toasted cheese, toasted peanut 
butter sandwiches along with fruit salad.

At one time there were pets kept on campus. There was a dog named King and a 
pony named Betty. King was allowed to roam about the school wherever he 
pleased except for eating areas. Betty was kept where the west playground is 
today. One night some of the boys brought Betty into the back lobby area. 
While Betty was visiting, she had a bad accident that caused a great deal of 
commotion. The boys had to clean up the mess, but they said it was well 
worth it. It was so much fun just to hear Betty's feet running down the hall 
on the tile floor. She was loved and adored by students and staff. The 
presence of both King and Betty have given many students precious memories.
The first Junior/Senior prom was in the Spring of 1946.
The 1947 senior class was the first to observe the tradition that was to be 
carried on for many years. It was senior Skip Day. Now this has been 
replaced with the activity of the senior trip.
Senior Skip Day meant to take just one day off from classes and perhaps have 
a picnic or doing whatever the class wanted to for that day.
1950's
By the school's one hundredth birthday in 1951, total racial integration had 
been achieved. The dormitory which had been exclusively for the black boys 
became the smoking room.
The first Coronation and Ball was held in December of 1952. In early 1953, 
the pep squad was founded.
The first band trip was in April 1955. The trip's final destination was 
Muskogee, Oklahoma, where they joined with the Oklahoma School for the Blind 
in a band festival. In route, they presented concerts at the state 
Sanitorium at Mount Vernon, and at Mount Vernon High School, and a concert 
in Springfield. A second band trip in 1956 was to the northwest part of the 
state, which they played concerts in Booneville, Marshal, Kansas City, and 
Maryville. In April 1957, the group toured southeast Missouri, giving 
concerts in Crystal City, Festus, Herculaneum, St. Genevieve, Jackson, Cape 
Girardeau, Caruthersville, Poplar Bluff, Rolla, Jefferson City and Columbia.
The 1959 eighth grade class was the last class to participate in the annual 
graduation exercises. From then on graduates consisted of only members of 
the senior class.
The graduating class of 1959 was composed of all boys.
The high school building was completed in 1959. The building won a national 
award that year for best lighting in a school building.
1960's
There was no graduating class in the year 1961.
The class of 1965 was the first to have an original class song.
In 1968 a set of hand bells were donated. They were made in England by the 
same company that made the Liberty Bell.
There was an inscription on the largest bell that read: "A Token of Love".
The first MSB store appeared in 1942. For the first several years, the Boy 
Scouts ran the store. They sold such things as cupcakes, candy, soda and ice 
cream in dixie cups. The ice cream, however, soon disappeared as a commodity 
and didn't appear again until the Student Center opened in the spring of 
1965. There they sold ice cream sodas.
The last year the MSB school picnic was held on the school grounds was in 
1966.
Wa-0-SKG were the ham radio call letters of an amateur radio club begun at 
school during the mid 60's.
The first MSB yearbook was published in 1969.
Zada Albee
My years at MSB extended from the mid-twenties to a bit past the 
mid-thirties.
The school I am describing was so strictly sex segregated that I could have 
been attending a private girls' school. Nobody told me this, of course. Why 
should a seven-year-old care? I certainly didn't. There was a girl's side 
and a boy's side of the building: girl's dining room and boy's dining room, 
separate sides in classrooms and auditorium, which, incidentally, was 
usually called the chapel. More about chapel later. The very first day of 
school began with a shocked reprimand from one of the "big girls" because my 
newly made best friend and I were sitting on the boys' side of the chapel.
We lived in dormitories, each accommodating fifteen to twenty girls and each 
identified by a letter: A, B, or C. Dorm A was for the oldest girls; Dorm C 
was for the youngest. Imagine sharing your bedroom with more than a dozen 
people.
The school day began with a chapel service: hymn, Bible reading, and The 
Lord's Prayer. Then there might be a short lecture by the superintendent, or 
perhaps entertainment in the form of a musical performance or recitation of 
a poem. Apparently no one had told us about the separation of church and 
state. We had Christmas pageants, Easter observances, things I, as a child, 
was accustomed to. I hope no one was too seriously offended.
The first radio I remember was installed in the auditorium. We were allowed 
to listen to it during some of our leisure time, including weekends. In the 
early thirties, the House B Housemother bought her own radio and was most 
generous in sharing it with her charges. When the World Series was on, her 
very small room was filled almost to overflowing with eager Cardinal fans, 
all sitting on the floor.
The 1931 - 1932 term was severely curtailed by lack of money. School ended 
sometime in April and did not resume until November. We started that school 
year with snow on the ground. During that first shortened year we had 
Saturday classes, and no Christmas vacation--just Christmas day.
As for recreation, we were Campfire Girl Scouts. Scouting gave us outings, 
cook-outs in Tower Grove Park, swimming at, of all places, Christ Church 
Cathedral.
One of my favorite happenings was Evening Reading. This took place from 
seven until eight four or five evenings a week. Two groups of girls were 
read to: one, middle school age, the other, senior high. The same two 
teachers did the reading as long as I can remember. I don't know if it was 
required or voluntary on their part. I suspect the latter. We heard books 
like "Anne of Green Gables" and "Little Women". We were not required to make 
book reports on these readings. That pleasant pastime stopped with the 
Saturday classes, and it was never resumed.
Roller skating in the gym was a fairly popular sport. The school provided 
the skates, the kind that clamped onto your shoes.
In addition to his normal duties as athletic director, our gym teacher, a 
gentleman with a decided German accent, stern manner, and kind heart, would 
take those of us who wished to go on hikes all the way to Carondelet Park, 
where we would wade in the lake, have a picnic lunch, and walk back to 
school. This would be on a Saturday, so I imagine it was above and beyond 
the call of duty of the teacher.
These are some of the things that marked my school years as distinctly 
different from yours, and so may be interesting to know about.
Oh, yes. About that boy-girl rule, most of us survived it remarkably well, 
and despite the careful supervision of those in charge, managed to marry and 
have lives just as happy and miserable as "normal" people.

Maxine Taylor

I was almost nine years old when I came to MSB. My parents, my grandmother, 
and a man who drove us, brought me to the Missouri School for the Blind on 
New Year's Day. The year was 1934. We arrived about four o'clock in the 
afternoon and of course the school was closed for the holidays. Some of the 
students were there because they hadn't gotten to go home for Christmas. At 
that time if a student's parents were unable to afford the child's 
transportation home or if the student actually had no home to go to, the 
student simply stayed the holiday at the school. This made it very difficult 
for the children that had to stay back and remain at the school during 
holidays.
We were introduced to Mr. Samuel McKnight Green, the superintendent. Mr. 
Green took us to dormitory House C and introduced us to the housemother, 
Miss Cook. They both were quite ancient in age. My mother, grandmother and 
my two younger sisters were permitted to stay with me in dormitory House C. 
My father was taken to the boys' dormitory for the night.
The very next morning, January 2, we started school. I was taken down to a 
classroom by one of the other students. At that time there were a lot of 
weekly students. This means, the student would stay during the week and go 
home on the weekend. The first teacher I met was Miss Louis. What a mean 
lady she was! I remember she called me "little girl". When I realized my 
folks had left, I became so very sad. I could not eat or think about 
anything else but my parents. For quite some time I was a very sad child and 
the girls in the dormitory were not of much comfort to me.
At this time in MSB history, the superintendent and his wife lived at the 
school. Their living quarters were never entered by the students. Where the 
Work Room and Conference Room are located today was Mr. and Mrs. Green's 
Drawing Room, where they entertained guests. Where Mrs. Reed's room is was 
my teacher, Miss Louis' room and where Mr. Fisher's room is was Mrs. 
Booker's classroom. Mrs. Booker taught Geography. All the kids dreaded her 
class.
Past these rooms was the boys' dormitory. It was always so strange to me 
that their side always smelled like vanilla. And, I will never know why! The 
boys had the loveliest housemother, Miss Anna.
In regards to meals, there were three different menus served for each meal. 
The superintendent and his wife enjoyed the best quality and had their food 
served on silver plates, linen tablecloths and linen napkins with silver 
eating utensils; the staff food which was the second class in quality and 
the student's food was the poorest in quality. There was a special dining 
room for the superintendent, a separate dining room for the staff, and 
another dining room for the students. On holidays such as Thanksgiving, we 
would have a great meal with turkey and all the fixings. Sometimes we would 
have sandwiches served in the dorm; and did we ever think this was nice! To 
eat in the dorm was a real treat. We got so tired of having to march to the 
dining room for every meal. When we were little children, instead of having 
napkins, we wore bibs. We had assigned seats and our bib was hung on the 
back of our chair.
I was a fast learner. I was able to learn braille quickly and I learned to 
read books which I dearly loved. By the time I got home that summer, I could 
really read! My mother and daddy, grandma, and my sisters were so proud of 
me. And, I was proud of myself!
In the summer, the school would send books home for us to read. We would 
keep the books until it was time to return to school in the Fall. These 
books did not come from the state library, but from MSB's library. I thought 
this was so nice because someone had to take the time to pack the books and 
send them to each student. Receiving the package in the mail made it extra 
special to me.

We learned Standard English Braille just like we have today in the year 
2000. Back then, we read First Grade Braille until we got into the third 
grade. Our third grade teacher, Miss Adsit, who was blind, taught Grade Two 
Braille. She was the best braille teacher that ever lived! What Miss Adsit 
didn't know about braille, nobody knew! It was a pleasure to have her for a 
teacher. Miss Louis was good at teaching braille, but she had a way that 
made us feel she must have hated kids.
The girls and boys were quite segregated throughout my years at MSB. When I 
was little and the bigger boys would start coming down the hall, the little 
girls would be taken into a classroom or anywhere to get out of their way. 
For many years the staff was quite conscious of keeping the girls and boys 
separated. Finally, the boys and girls were permitted to have recreational 
activities in the back lobby and go to the movies together.
In the back lobby there was a little store that some of us run. In the store 
was soda, candy bars and other things to eat. Prior to the store, some of 
the older students had candy that they sold on their own to supplement their 
personal income. At that time, students could go to MSB until the age of 28. 
These older students were the ones that sold candy in the front office. The 
reason why students were permitted to go to school until such an old age was 
because many people did not know about the Missouri School for the Blind. 
Many people would start at an older age and it simply took time for them to 
get through the required subjects to graduate with a diploma.
In regards to medical attention, it was quite limited. The girls had a tiny 
sick room, as did the boys. There was no registered nurse--just a lady that 
served as a nurse, Mrs. Williams. There was an old doctor by the name of Dr. 
Hammel, who was quite ancient. He looked as if he came out of an unpleasant 
nightmare! Dr. Hammel was truly something else! Dr. Hammel would come to see 
us when we were sick. It was up to Dr. Hammel and Mrs. Williams to determine 
what we got and what we didn't. I don't think we got any kind of medication 
unless it was something that could be purchased over the counter or what we 
consider patented medicines.
As a child at MSB, I had Scarlet Fever and had to be taken to an isolation 
hospital. There were two boys that also became ill with Scarlet Fever at 
this time. I did not associate with these two boys in any way. It was so 
strange that we three were sick at the same time. We were required to stay 
in the hospital for a month. I do not know who paid for this. Maybe our 
parents were billed or maybe the state took care of the payment.
Dormitory life was quite interesting. The youngest girls were assigned to 
House C. When we were around twelve years old we were moved into House B. We 
moved into House A when we got into high school. Where House C was located 
is today where the Little Theatre is. Black girls were not permitted to live 
in the dormitories with us. The black girls lived in a little room, which 
now is next to the girls' bathroom on the first floor in the East Hall. The 
black girls did not have a housemother. They were left to take care of 
themselves. In later years, the black girls did get a black house mother. 
They were so segregated from the white girls. In the bathroom we were told 
not to drink water from that faucet--don't even get a cup of water from that 
because the black girls drink from that. We were instructed to not associate 
with the black students out in the yard and on the playgrounds, but I didn't 
pay any attention to what I was told. We were told that we shouldn't go with 
the black girls because it wasn't right for black and white children to be 
together. Since I didn't pay any attention, I developed a wonderful 
relationship with a lovely black girl and we remained friends throughout our 
adulthood until her death.
When we had done something wrong to deserve some type of punishment, we 
would be put "on silence". This meant that we could not talk to anyone 
except at meals or in class if we were directly asked a question by the 
teacher, or if we had to ask something in regards to the lesson. Sometimes 
being "on silence" could last for several days depending upon the offense 
meriting this type of discipline. I didn't approve of this form of 
punishment.
My most beloved memories regarding MSB involve one of my favorite teachers, 
Mrs. Elizabeth Carpenter. Mrs. Carpenter was one of the most wonderful 
people I have known in my entire life. She was my fourth grade teacher. But 
beyond teaching, she served as the troop leader for Girl Scout Troop 83. 
Under the direction of Mrs. Carpenter, we did everything. We were a very 
active group. Mrs. Carpenter would take us on picnics, camping trips and day 
trips that would prove to be quite adventurous. I was extremely active in a 
sextet that took us to many wonderful and delightful places. Sometimes we 
were paid for our performances and were permitted to keep the money. The 
money was always divided between the six students; and we really needed the 
money for our clothes and special little things.
One of my most vivid memories of MSB was when Mr. Green died. He had been at 
MSB for so long that everyone regarded him as an old fossil. He certainly 
was not loved by all the students. When the teachers told us that Mr. Green 
had died, many of us did not care. But, we had to be respectful. It was 
decided that the body would be laid out in the chapel and that two teachers 
and two students would stand guard by the casket until the funeral service. 
Some of the kids said that they didn't know why so much attention should be 
paid to Mr. Green, now that he was dead, because they knew he wouldn't get 
up and leave. There were so many, many flowers. One of the gentlemen that 
was standing guard was overcome by the smell of the flowers and he fainted. 
After the funeral service, Mr. Green was cremated. Mrs. Green assumed the 
duties of the superintendent for the remainder of that school year.
I graduated in 1946. There were six students in my graduating class. This 
was Mrs. Hubbard's first year at MSB. In 1946, we had the first recessional 
at graduation. Always before the students would have a formal marching in, 
but no formal exit. The chapel had been painted and the much needed repairs 
had been done. Our graduation was quite beautiful.

I am forever grateful for my experiences at MSB. Especially, I appreciate 
the opportunity to have learned braille. As an adult, I used braille in my 
professional and private life continuously. I was a teacher of blind and 
visually impaired students learning to become medical transcriptionists. I 
used braille as a tool to determine my students' spelling and level of skill 
development. In my private life, I have used braille in all the same ways a 
sighted person uses print. Without braille, I could have not enjoyed life as 
much as I have because braille has been my lifeline to independence and 
success in the world of work, as well as being a mother and wife.

Lee Manske
I began school when I was five years old which was in the mid-thirties. 
Needless to say it was entirely different than it is now. The whole building 
has been taken apart and put back together and added to. The front of the 
building used to be entirely different. There used to be several steps that 
went up the front with a statue of a lion on each side. We named them Leo 
and Cleo. We always said these lions guarded the school. We had a lot of fun 
with that particular idea. You had to be very careful going up the steps 
because if you climbed up one of those slippery lions, you were apt to fall 
down. There used to be a lot of magnolia trees along the front of the 
school. I can remember when I would come to school I would count the fifth 
tree; then it was time to turn in and go into the school building. I am 
sorry all of those magnolia trees are no longer there. They were very nice.
Braille was taught entirely differently back then. It took us about five or 
six years to get through the braille system. We started with the peg board 
in kindergarten. The pegs were big, and working with the pegs helped us to 
develop our sense of touch. In the first and second grades we worked with 
strictly what we called "Plain Braille or Grade One," where everything was 
spelled out with no contractions of any kind. Of course these were the years 
we were learning about spelling. Even though this was a slower process, I 
think this method made us better spellers and readers. In third grade, we 
learned Grade One and a half. This consisted of alphabetic word signs and 
the beginning of contractions such as "er" and "ow". By the time we got into 
the fifth grade, we began to learn Grade Two. The learning of Grade Two 
continued through the sixth grade. By the time we got into seventh grade, we 
had mastered Grade Two Braille and we were well-prepared for the challenge 
of seventh grade work.
Things were done very differently in the classrooms when I first came to 
MSB. We had all of our academic subjects in the morning and all of the fine 
arts in the afternoon. It was nice to have that schedule because most of us 
were fresher and more attentive in the morning and were more in the mood to 
learn. We didn't have a lot of art, but we did have choir, home economics 
and P.E. If a student didn't take those subjects, then he/she could study 
academic subjects. Everybody was required to go to study hall from seven to 
eight in the evening. It was a supervised study hall and it was held in the 
various dormitories with the supervision being conducted by the 
housemothers.
The housemothers played a major role in our lives. They were on duty 
twenty-four hours a day and they lived in the building. In the dormitories 
the housemothers had their own bedrooms. They supervised all day long and 
into the evenings. We had some very good housemothers that made dorm life 
feel like home. They used to gather us in their rooms and read us stories 
and bring us treats. It was like one big happy family. There were 
difficulties at times, just like there are today and will always be. We were 
not departmentalized like today. Everyone seemed to get along and work 
together. Communication did not seem to be a barrier.
I have many fond memories of MSB in the dorm. The girl's dorms were on the 
east side and the boy's dorms were on the west side. I can remember 
sometimes when we would go to bed, there would be story telling. Some of us 
were story tellers and some were not. We would take turns telling stories. 
There would be fourteen or fifteen girls in one room, and we would have lots 
of fun. The housemothers would bring the laundry upstairs and place it on 
each of our beds. We would put our own things away. My best girl friend and 
I came from rather poor folks. I can remember on one particular Easter that 
we did not have a new Easter dress and our dorm mother made dresses for each 
of us.
There was a great deal of segregation when I was in school. The girls and 
boys were hardly allowed to talk to each other even in the classrooms. The 
girls were not allowed to leave the school building, but the boys could. 
Since the girls were not allowed to leave the building on their own, the 
housemothers on Monday nights would take the girls who wanted to go to the 
Shenandoah Theatre to see the movies; however, they were not compelled to 
go. We were encouraged to determine our own activities, as things were not 
planned for us from the time we got up until the time we went to bed. We had 
time to do things we wanted to do, but we were expected to spend our time 
resourcefully. I think this helped us to learn the importance of managing 
our time and how to entertain ourselves. Music Appreciation, Speech and 
Expression were taught. A lady from outside MSB would come to help us with 
speaking, grammar and to express ourselves appropriately. We would put on 
plays. These plays did our students a lot of good. They were able to step 
out and be recognized.
There were a lot of things we didn't have. We didn't have mobility, 
industrial arts or athletic conferences.
When Ina E. Hubbard became principal, changes began to occur that helped to 
make MSB more modern. She talked the superintendent, Mr. Thompson, into 
permitting juniors and seniors to shop in the neighborhood, go to Tower 
Grove Park for walks and visit a sweet shop that we all used to go to for 
special treats. By the time students were seniors, they were allowed to do 
some unsupervised dating--like go to the symphony or the movies. Of course, 
they were to be in by the expected hour.
By the time I did my student teaching at MSB, I was a senior in college and 
things had "really" changed. Boys and girls were eating at the same table 
and actually were allowed to talk with each other. It was amazing how 
changes came about slowly, but surely.
There were some good things about the olden days and some things that were 
not so good. Basically, I think we received a wonderful education. Latin, 
Spanish, Drama, and Music were taught. We got a rich background in academics 
and other subjects that interested all of us.
MSB was home to me for nine months out of the year. I always hated the end 
of the year when it was time to go home for the summer. I missed my friends. 
During the summers I did a lot of reading and I would correspond with my 
friends by writing letters in braille. Some of the teachers would write to 
us and that was a big thrill to receive a letter from a teacher in the 
summertime. I always looked forward to the time to go to school again and to 
be with all of my friends.
Don Shockley
I attended MSB from October 1, 1943 through June 1, 1955. There were a lot 
of changes in the building and in the activities during that time. Some of 
the changes in the building were: the music wing, the library, the swimming 
pool, home economics department and a dormitory. Collins Hall was started 
during that time.
When I was in the early grades, we always put on a Christmas play. After the 
play Santa Claus showed up.
The first school Coronation Ball took place in the fall of 1952. We started 
the Student Council in 1954. In the early fifties the boys and girls began 
eating at the same tables. Before that we ate at separate tables.
Wrestling started in 1951 and the first tournament was held at MSB. One of 
the after-school activities I really enjoyed was playing ball in the gym. We 
played it with a volley ball with similar rules as baseball and some changes 
to adapt to our way.
There was an active Boy Scout troop during those years, and I enjoyed 
attending summer camp and some weekend campouts.
We were taught braille in first grade and used it all the way through 
school. I have enjoyed reading braille books and magazines from the library 
and have found my knowledge of braille to be invaluable in daily living.

I spent twelve years at MSB obtaining a wonderful education, which gave me 
the preparation that I needed to secure a position in the workplace. This 
enabled me to provide a good home and raise my two children.
Beverly Shockley
I came to MSB in the fall of 1949 as a senior in high school. There were 
only six in our class. Mrs. Elizabeth Kirn was our class sponsor and was 
also the gym teacher for the girls. She had such an outgoing personality and 
was so much fun to be with that all the girls loved and respected her. It 
was important to have such teachers, especially since we had to be away from 
home for the entire school year.
Dr. Robert Thompson was superintendent then, and I recall his lecture to our 
class when we tried to avoid the required senior class attendance at the 
Alumni reunion. He said that we would look forward to returning to see our 
old classmates. I was reminded of this at my 50-year reunion with someone I 
had not seen in all those years.
Mrs. Ina Hubbard was a very dedicated principal. My first impression of her 
was that she was very strict and without feeling, but upon returning after 
graduation, I saw a very warm and thoughtful concern for me and what was 
happening in my life. She spent many long hours making sure that each child 
was the best he or she could be.
At the time I came to MSB I was no longer able to read but had never seen 
braille. One of my teachers, Joanna Levitt, saw my need and offered to teach 
me braille after school, since nothing had been set up for me to be taught 
braille that year. She was also the first grade teacher. She gave me a 
booklet with all the contractions and a first grade reader, and I have been 
eternally grateful to her for her concern.
Most of the students at that time learned to use the typewriter in fifth 
grade. I was given some basic instruction on the typewriter, attended a 
business school the following year, and worked for nine years as a 
dictaphone typist. My beginning braille instruction, along with the typing 
experience, allowed me to eventually obtain a computer system and braille 
embosser and to provide some much needed braille for others.
I feel that my one year at MSB was probably one of the most important years 
of my life. It gave my life direction and helped me to learn to deal with my 
blindness.
Jack Lenk
I attended MSB from January of 1956 until June of 1968. Sports and music 
were the love of my life. Bowling competition with other schools, believe it 
or not, was by mail. We sent our scores to an appointed school and the 
winning school would be determined by the scores recorded by our coaches. It 
was quite a different method than what students can imagine today, but for 
us it was exciting and we worked hard to be the best!
Just for fun, we played lots of basketball and baseball. We used a 
volleyball for our baseball. We had prescribed rules to play by. It was 
different than what you may think baseball is like, but we had a wonderful 
time playing our modified version.
I enjoyed wrestling, swimming and track. We had cheerleaders that provided 
enthusiasm that helped immensely in keeping us focused and wanting to do our 
best to win.
During my years at MSB there was a lot of construction in progress. The 
auditorium was under construction and was not completed in time for 
graduation in June of 1968, so my graduation took place in the school gym.
I am proud to be a part of MSB, and MSB is certainly a part of me.
Robert P. Jaco
I graduated from MSB in 1975. There were 15 members in my graduating class. 
I remember so many wonderful days at MSB. Sports, academics, trips, and 
music made my life worth living.
I was a day-student and did not know much about dorm life. I was grateful 
for the opportunity to go home every night. I treasure my memories of my 
school friends and the impact they have had on my life.
Braille in my life: Without braille I feel I could have not been a 
successful blind person. I use braille every day in my personal and 
professional life. Braille is my means of communication with myself as well 
as with other blind people. I use braille to record my professional needs 
and I use the computer to do my work as a medical transcriptionist.
Returning to MSB: I enjoy serving on the school board and being an active 
member of the alumni. MSB has been an important component in my life since I 
was five years old, and it continues to be a part of my life that helps me 
to continue growing in knowledge and personal satisfaction.
Christy Forrest
I graduated from MSB in 1982. MSB had been my home for so many years. I 
attended MSB for 13 years and without its structure, I would not have known 
what to do with my life. I began thinking of what MSB had meant to me as a 
child and I determined as a result of the experiences I had as a child, I 
wanted to be a teacher of preschool children. I am grateful for my years at 
MSB and I wish to share a few of my fondest memories.
I loved cats when I was a little girl. I always wanted to sneak kittens from 
the neighborhood into the dorm, but I always had a fear of the dorm mother. 
I knew having a cat in the dorm would not be a popular decision with the 
dorm mother. But, one day I did it. I found a little kitten outside and I 
brought it in for just a few minutes without getting caught. The next day I 
brought the kitten in for another visit, but this time I did get caught. I 
did receive pretty severe discipline, but I didn't care. The fun of having 
the kitten visit me for those few minutes was certainly worth the 
punishment.
MSB was a place that I felt secure and safe from all harm. I needed a safe 
shelter because my home life was a bit shaky at times. I grew to love MSB as 
my home and I felt many of the students were as close to me as brothers and 
sisters.
I always enjoyed sports. I have many fond memories of conference trips and 
meeting the challenges of hanging in there when times got tough. Sometimes 
competition was difficult, but I wanted to do my very best no matter what 
obstacles came my way.
I learned braille and I use braille in all facets of my life. I am a totally 
blind mother and I read braille the same way sighted parents read print.
I thank MSB for equipping me with skills that make my life as a blind person 
successful. I am active in community activities and I have faith in myself. 
I am secure with myself and I cope with life well. I function as 
independently as I can, but when I need assistance, I am not afraid to seek 
help.
MSB gave me the determination to reach for the stars.
Dewey Bradley
I graduated from MSB in 1998. During my years at MSB I did not realize the 
impact MSB would have on my life beyond its walls.
After graduation, I moved to Denver, Colorado and attended Colorado Center 
for the Blind. The braille I learned at MSB has been quite valuable in my 
personal and professional life. I am grateful for the opportunity to have 
learned to use the Braille 'n Speak.
Since MSB, I have worked as a receptionist and the Braille 'n Speak has been 
the piece of technology that I have used to be an independent and efficient 
employee.
I realize that learning braille, mobility, adaptive technology and 
alternatives of daily living techniques are the most important personal 
skills that I, as a blind man, must have in order to be competent in the 
world of work.

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