Perkins School for the Blind
This collection contains memorabilia related to Helen Keller including medals and awards as well as commemorative items.
Susanna Coit, 2018
Helen Keller is considered by many to be a leading figure of the twentieth century. When she was an infant, illness robbed her of her vision and hearing. Thanks to the pioneering strategies developed by Perkins’ first director, Samuel Gridley Howe, and the tenacity of Perkins alumna, Anne Sullivan, she became the world’s best known individual with deafblindness.
Today, she is still regarded as one of the most powerful and well-known advocates for people who are blind and deafblind. Her books and speeches have inspired millions including many well-known individuals such as Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Roosevelt. Through her tireless efforts, she transformed the way the world viewed people with disabilities.
McGinnity, B.L., Seymour-Ford, J. and Andries, K.J. (2004) Helen Keller FAQs. Perkins History Museum, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.
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.
This collection includes memorabilia related to Helen Keller. Objects include awards and medals as well as commemorative pins and commemorative plates. It also contains a rock from Helen Keller’s house in Wrentham, Massachusetts and other souvenir objects.
The collection is arranged in one series.
Box: 1 Series 1:
American Foundation for the Blind coin, 1971
Helen Keller commemorative plate, 1980
Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan postage stamp commemorative pins, 1980
Rock taken from stone all at Helen Keller’s former home in Wrentham, Mass., donated 1989
George H.W. Bush Anne Sullivan Medal and Certificate, 1992
Helen Keller Alabama commemorative quarter (enlarged, souvenir), 2003
Bowl made from oak tree on Ivy Green property, c. 2016
Two glass decanters, unknown date
Unknown medal, unknown date
Helen Keller address plate, unknown date
Helen Keller commemorative pin, unknown date
Japanese souvenir, unknown date
Plate reading “Gift of Helen Keller,” unknown date
Perkins School for the Blind.
Perkins School for the Blind--History.
Keller, Helen.
Sullivan, Anne.
American Foundation for the Blind.