Inis B. Hall collection

Creator:

Perkins School for the Blind

Date range:

1966

Call number:

AG55

Abstract:

This collection includes letters written by former students, co-teachers, directors, and superintendents, about Inis B. Hall’s time as a teacher in the Deafblind department at Perkins School for the Blind. Letters were sent in as part of the 1966 “Anne Sullivan Centennial Commemoration” celebration.

Extent:

0.25 linear feet, 1 box

Language:

English

Processed by:

Elizabeth Constanti, 2014 ; Abstract and biography added by Susanna Coit, 2022

Biographical/Historical note:

Inis B. Hall (1884-1957) was the head of the deafblind department at Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind (now Perkins School for the Blind). She studied at the Iowa State Teachers College, Central State Teachers College, and the Central Institute for the Deaf. Before coming to Perkins, she taught at the Minneapolis Day School and the state schools of Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, and Georgia. While in South Dakota, she was trained by Sophia Alcorn in the Tadoma method of communication (Koestler, 525). Hall took over teaching Chapman and when he was admitted to Perkins in 1931, Hall was asked to accompany him and begin the school’s department for students with deafblindness (Koestler, 525). Hall left Perkins in 1943 to serve as the head of the California School for the Blind’s new “deaf-blind unit.” She remained in that role until her retirement in 1952 (Koestler, 525).

The Anne Sullivan Centennial Commemoration celebration was held April 14, 1966 and was held “to honor the memory of Anne Sullivan by telling what her life’s work means today to deaf-blind people the world over”. The event was jointly sponsored by Perkins School for the Blind (Watertown, MA) and The Industrial Home for the Blind (Brooklyn, NY).

Sources of information:

Hall, Inis B. “Practical Treatment of the Deaf-Blind.” Journal of Exceptional Children, Vol. 3, Issue 4, pp. 102-126. April 1, 1937.

Koestler, Frances A. The Unseen Minority. AFB Press, New York NY. 2004.

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:

AG55 Inis B. Hall collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

Scope/contents:

Includes letters written by former students, co-teachers, directors, and superintendents about Inis B. Hall’s time as a teacher in the Deafblind deparmtent at Perkins School for the Blind. Letters were sent in as part of the 1966 “Anne Sullivan Centennial Commemoration” celebration. Letters reflect on her skills as a teacher, some mentioning her implementation of the Tadoma method to many students, and her character as a person. Letters were presented to Augustus Thorndike, M.D., by Jackie G. Coker, one of Hall’s students.

Arrangement:

1 box

Related collections:

Teacher Training Course Term Papers, 1921-1953, Perkins School for the Blind

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

AG139 Deafblind clipping sand other materials collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

AG5 Gabriel Farrell collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

AG587 Photographs of students with deafblindness. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

AG54 Students with deafblindness at the Perkins School for the Blind collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

AG36 Anne Sullivan Centennial Commemoration papers. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown MA.

Container list:

Box 1

B1:F1: Letters removed from embossed binder labeled “Inis B. Hall 1884-1957”, 1966-1967

• Edward J. Waterhouse (director)
• Berthold Lowenfeld (superintendent)
• Jackie Gennoi Coker (counselor-teacher)
• Gertrude M. [Stenquist] (teacher)
• Margaret Hasher (teacher)
• Lillian Huset Millon (teacher)
• Maurine Gittzus (teacher)
• Joseph Jablonski (co-worker)
• Delores Cable Snodgrass (student)
• Juanita Morgan (student)
• Carmela Ortero (student)
• Leonard Dowdy (student)
• Clifton L. Sears (student)
• Gabriel Farrell (director)

B1:F2: Embossed blue binder that letters were removed from, labeled “Inis B. Hall, 1884-1957

Subject headings:

• People who are deafblind–Education
• People who are deafblind–Means of communication
• Perkins School for the Blind
• Perkins School for the Blind–History
• Hall, Inis B., 1884-1957