Dr. Edward J. Waterhouse collection

Creator:

Edward J. Waterhouse

Date Range:

1950-1999 (bulk dates: 1951-1971)

Call Number:

AG50

Abstract:

Contains materials related to the life and works of Dr. Edward J. Waterhouse, former director of Perkins School for the Blind from 1951 to 1971. The collection contains correspondence, clippings, writings, publications, photographs, and materials related to Waterhouse’s time as director at the school, as well as his personal impact and advocacy for better legislation and programs for people who are blind or deafblind.

Extent:

4 linear feet

Language:

English

Processed by:

Megan Weinstein, 2012; biography revised by Susanna Coit, 2020

Biographical/Historical notes:

Edward J. Waterhouse (1902-1999) was born in Hale, England and graduated from Queen’s College Cambridge University in 1930. The same year, he immigrated to the United States and in 1933 began teaching mathematics at Perkins School for the Blind in 1933, where he was also a housemaster in one of the school’s residences. From 1935 to 1938 he represented Perkins in the planning and directing of WPA projects, which made educational models for the blind and embossed maps. In 1948 he was appointed manager of the Perkins’ Howe Press and while in that position he did much to introduce to the world the newly designed Perkins Brailler.  He also helped to establish new programs and services in the United States and worldwide for individuals with deafblindness.  In addition, he worked to expand the Perkins Teacher Training Program for professionals around the world.

In 1951 Dr. Waterhouse became the fifth director of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind (now Perkins School for the Blind). He resigned as director in 1971, but continued to work as a consultant for Perkins for a number of years. He also served as a trustee of the National Braille Press (Boston) and as an overseer of the John Milton Society for the Blind (New York). He was chairman of the North American Committee on Service for the Blind and Deaf from 1970-1974. He was involved with ICEVI (formerly ICEBY or the International Conference of Education of Blind Youth) from its very conception and its first conference in 1952 and later served as president of the conference from 1962-1967.  He died in Bath, Maine, on September 17, 1999.

Sources of information:

“In Memoriam.” ICEVI (International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment). ICEVI, 1998-2006. Retrieved from http://www.icevi.org/publications/educator/Fall_01/article15.htm

Restrictions:

None

Copyright:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Perkins School for the Blind, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Credit line/Citation:

AG50 Dr. Edward J. Waterhouse Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

Scope/Contents:

Contains correspondence, clippings, writings, publications, photographs, and materials related to Edward J. Waterhouse’s work as director at the school, as well as his personal impact and advocacy for better legislation and programs for people who are blind or deafblind. Topics include the Braille Mathematics Code Committee, International Conference of Education of Blind Youth (I.C.E.B.Y.), Perkins history, international travel and programming, federal legislation, and more.

Arrangement:

10 series, 6 boxes

• Series 1: Publications, 1953-1977
• Series 2: Braille Mathematics Code Committee, 1950-1960
• Series 3: Federal Legislation, 1962
• Series 4: International Conference of Education of Blind Youth (I.C.E.B.Y.), 1967
• Series 5: Pamphlets, the “New England Plan”, the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Watertown campus, and manual arts photograph set, 1952-1962
• Series 6: Perkins Publicity and History, 1934-1970
• Series 7: Foreign Correspondence and Travel, 1951-1969
• Series 8: Photographs, 1954-1969
• Series 9: Personal Papers, 1951-1999
• Series 10: Materials donated by Waterhouse descendants

Related collections:

Teacher Training Program, 1925-1984 digital collection on Flickr

Edward J. Waterhouse digital collection on Flickr.

AG49 Perkins Teacher Training Program photographs. Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.

AG45 Directors’ Office files records. Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.

Container List:

Series 1: Writings and Publications, 1953-1977

*note, collection starts with Folder 5

• B1:F5: Internal memos about article “Maladjustment and Maternal Rejection in Retrolental Fibroplasia” by Barry published in Mental Hygiene. Critique of article and concerns about student privacy, 1953
• B1:F6: Conference Papers, 1953-1976.
• B1:F7: Book reviews written by Waterhouse for publications relating to blind and deaf-persons.
• B1:F8: Publications – “Education of the Deaf-blind in the United States 1837– 1967”, “The Emergence of Anne Sullivan”, “Emphasis: The Deaf-blind”, “Extra-curricular Program at Perkins”, “Helping the Deaf-blind to face the future”, “History of the Howe Press of Perkins School for the Blind”
• B1:F9: Publications – “Arithmetic Aids for the Blind”, “A Complete Program for Deaf-blind Children”, “Audiovision, the Blind, Deaf-blind”, The Challenge of Change”, “A Consideration of the Work of Samuel P. Hayes in relation to the Individual Blind Child”, “Current Status of the Perkins Brailler”, “Deaf/Blind Children in the Perkins School for the Blind”, “Deaf-blind Children and their Future”, “Deaf-blind Progress”, “Education of the Deaf-blind”, “Education of Blind Children in the United States of America”       
• B1:F10: “A Lifetime of Work with Blind Children”, undated
• B1:F11: “Communication by Braille and Recordings”, 1953
• B1:F12: “Montfort College Special Course for Teachers of the Regulations and Syllabus”, 1970, 1971
• B1:F13: “The Deaf-blind Child: Educational training or Custodial Care”, 1972
• B1:F14: “Deaf-blind Adolescent”, 1973
• B1:F15: “Planning a Public Relations Program for the Rehabilitation of the Deaf-blind”, 1974 
• B1:F16: “What Deaf-blind Children Need”, 1975 
• B1:F17: “The Status of Deaf-blind Persons throughout the World”, 1976
• B1:F18: “A Complete Program for Deaf-blind Children”, undated
• B1:F19: “Perkins and its reputation”, 1976
• B1:F20: Book copy, review, and writings, 1971, 1973, 1975, undated
• B1:F21: Biographical data (written by Waterhouse)
• Box 3: Bound publications and books
  • Mental Hygiene, Vol. XXXVII  October, 1953 No. 4
  • Conferencia Panamericana Para el Bienestar de los Ciegos, handwritten notes
  • The Landon School, Washington, D. C., 1931 (Waterhouse was academic aide to a blind student in the 1930s)

*box contains list of titles that weren’t kept, or were integrated into the Research Library collection

Series 2: Braille Mathematics Code Committee, 1950–1960

• B1:F22-24: Braille Mathematics Code Committee Documents

Series 3: Federal Legislation, 1962

• B1:F25-26 to Box 1A: Folder 27: Federal Legislation on Rehabilitation and Special Education, in particular, the Exceptional Children Act of 1962, H.R. 10123, and H.R. 10125 (includes copies of the proposals), 1962

Series 4: International Conference of Education of Blind Youth (I.C.E.B.Y.), 1967

• B1A:F28: Correspondence (includes thank you notes from attendees written to Waterhouse from when Perkins School for the Blind hosted the conference in 1967)

Series 5: Pamphlets, the “New England Plan”, the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Watertown campus, and manual arts photograph set, 1952-1962

• B1A:F29-30: Pamphlets
• B1A:F31-32: New England Regional Conference on the “New England Plan”, 1952– 1953.  This discusses an offer to make Perkins programs available to public schools due to the growing student body at Perkins, as seen in 1952
• B1A:F33: The New England Plan Council, 1952
• B1A:F34: Deaf-blind screening sessions, 1958-1960
• B1A:F35: Corporation and Library (including the dedication of the reference library), 1966
• B1A:F36: Adelphi Research Center, 1961-1965
• B1A:F 37: Fifty years on the Watertown campus, 1912-1962
• B1A:F38: Proposal for the use of funds donated in the memory of Rose M. Vivian
• B1A:F39: Memorials Committee, undated

Series 6: Perkins Publicity and History, 1934-1970

• B2:F40: History of the Deaf-blind department at Perkins, 1934-1954. Includes one letter (and one copy) from Waterhouse to Helen Keller.
• B2:F41-42: Newspaper clippings, 1954-1999
• B2:F41: Original clippings
• B2:F42: Photocopies of the original clippings
• B2:F43: “Fourth World” book and film, 1956-1958
• B2:F44: Article written by Don Murray in the Saturday Evening Post, reactions and correspondence, 1957
• B2:F45-45A: Deaf-blind Publicity, 1957-1962
• B2:F46: Braille Bowling Indicator, 1960
• B2:F47: “Children of the Silent Night” film, 1961
• B2:F48: Florence Cohen’s article on deaf-blind entitled “Speak into the Darkness”, 1961
• B2:F49: Gala Preview of the “Miracle Worker” film for the benefit of the Anne Sullivan   Memorial Fund, 1962
• B2:F50: Deaf-blind and Rubella, 1962-1966
• B2:F51: Dennison Christmas Recording Project, 1964
• B2:F52: BBC Programs on Perkins (Stephen Grenfell), 1964-1965
• B2:F53: “Searching for Light”, a film by the NHK Special Reporting Team of Radio-Television Japan, 1965.
• B2:F54: Perkins record of “Una Cantante de Noe” correspondence, 1965
• B2:F55: The Mike Douglas Show, 1965
• B2:F56: Discussions of Various Braillers, 1967-1970
• B2:F57: Brochures, undated. Includes brochures for deaf-blind programs at Perkins and other schools

Series 7: Foreign Correspondence and Travel, 1951-1969

• B2:F58: Deaf-blind in Iran and the Middle East, 1951-1961
• B2:F59: W.C.W.B., 1953-1954. World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, World Assembly conference in Paris, France
• B2:F60: Pan-American Conference, 1954
• B2:F61: Far East Conference on the Welfare of the Blind, 1955
• B2:F62-63: Perkins Officials visit Japan in 1967, 1956-1967. [4 photographs]. Includes correspondence prior to the trip and 4 small photos
• 2:F64: Waterhouse’s Trip to Japan, 1967
• B2:F65: Asian Correspondence on the Deaf-blind, 1957-1963
• B2:F66: India Palayamkottai Training Course, 1958-1961
• B2:F67: Correspondence with the New England Lions-CARE committee, 1959-1965. CARE (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, INC.) for the rehabilitation of the blind in Greece
• B2:F68: Lions-CARE Appliances, 1963-1965
• B2:F69: American Friends of the Blind in Greece, INC., 1964-1969
• B2:F70: Deaf-blind Conference in Denmark, 1962-1965
• B2:F71: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) correspondences, 1962-1966
• B2:F72: World Federation of the Deaf, Fourth World Congress conference of the Deaf in Stockholm, Sweden, 1963
• B2:F73: The Second Asian Conference on Work for the Blind, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaysia, 1963
• B2:F74: International Conference on the Education of the Deaf in Washington, D.C., 1963
• B2:F75: Asian Trip, 1964
• B2:F76: Correspondence with schools in the Middle East, 1965
• B2:F77: Waterhouse’s Trip to Jamaica to visit the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Handicapped Children, 1968

Series 8: Photographs, 1954-1969

• B2:F78: W.C.W.B. World Assembly conference in Paris group photo of attendees, 1954. [1 photograph]
• B2:F79: Personal photographs, 1955-1969. [36 photographs]. Includes holiday cards to Waterhouse in 1967, personal photographs, and Perkins-related photographs
• B2:F80-81: Perkins staff photographs, 1957-1969, undated [15 photographs]
• B2:F82: Photographs of Piano Tuning (Manual Arts at Perkins), 1961. [5 photographs]
• B2:F83: Photographs from Waterhouse’s Trip to Japan, 1967. [13 photographs]
• B2:F84: Photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Waterhouse, undated [52 photographs]

Series 9:  Personal Papers, 1951-1999

• B4:F85: Diploma of honorary Doctorate of Letters bestowed on Waterhouse by Gallaudet University, signed by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957
• B4:F86: Memorabilia, 1951-1976. Includes recognition by Boston Society of Optometrists and recognition for his Department of Education appointment as an advisory board member for the Division of the Blind
• B4:F86A: Memorabilia and Personal Papers, 1951-1976
• B4:F87: Special Education Services Study, 1973
• B4:F88: Conference Paper, “Correlating Home and Personal Management and Daily living skills with the school program of the slow learning visually handicapped”, 1974
• B4:F89: Waterhouse’s Writings, 1953-1977

Series 10: Materials donated by Waterhouse descendants, 2014

• Box 5: Awards, plaques, certificates, medals (AFB and Anne Sullivan), retirement related memorabilia and correspondence
• Box 6: Photographs: travels abroad, Chan Poh Lin, with Gov. Volpe, Ted Kennedy visit to Perkins, deafblind department, foreign travel, conferences and Perkins related articles and writings. Includes Waterhouse’s original letter of hire by Gabriel Farrell.
• Box 7: 16mm films, 8 titles
  • The Perkins Story, 1957
  • Children of the Silent Night, 1961
  • Legacy of Anne Sullivan, 1968
  • Realities of Blindness-The Perkins Experience, 1972
  • Children Without Sight, 1971
  • The World of Deaf-Blind Children “Deaf-Blind Circus,” circa 1975 
  • The World of Deaf-Blind Children – Growing Up, 1975
  • The World of Deaf -Blind Children – How They Communicate, 1975

Subject headings:

• Waterhouse, Edward J., 1902-1999
• Perkins School for the Blind–History
• Perkins School for the Blind
• Chan, Theresa
• People who are deafblind–Education
• Teachers of people who are blind