[nfb-talk] Missouri School For The Blind:

[Kenneth Chrane]

Hi Everyone,



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.



Enjoy.



Rhanda





For Your Reading Pleasure .

 

MSB Roots

                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 St. 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 St. 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 $150,000.00.

 

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 1931-32 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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