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Anne Sullivan
USINFO | 2013-06-25 16:10
Johanna Anne Mansfield Sullivan Macy (April 14, 1866–October 20, 1936), better known as Anne Sullivan, was an Irish-American teacher, best known for being the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.
Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts. According to her baptismal certificate, her name at birth was Johanna Mansfield Sullivan; however, she was called Anne from birth.[2] Her parents were Thomas and Alice (née Cloesy) Sullivan, Irish immigrants who reportedly couldn't read and were almost penniless.[2] Alice died in 1874, probably from tuberculosis;[3] after which Anne and her younger brother, James (Jimmie) were sent to an almshouse in Tewksbury, Massachusetts (today part of Tewksbury Hospital). Anne spent seven years there.[2] In 1880, blind from an untreated trachoma, she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind. Aside from her brother James (born 1869),[4] she also had two sisters, Ellen (born 1867)[3] and Mary.
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2012)
Some teachers recognized Sullivan's intelligence and tamed her headstrong ways. Michael Anagnos, director of the Institute, then located in South Boston, encouraged her to tutor younger students. She also underwent eye surgery that partially restored her vision. Sullivan graduated from Perkins School for the Blind in 1886, when she was 20 years old, as the valedictorian of her class. Anagnos was approached to suggest a teacher for a deaf-blind girl, Helen Keller. He asked Sullivan, herself visually impaired and only 20 years old, to become her instructor. Sullivan arrived at Keller's house in the small Alabama town of Tuscumbia on March 3, 1887. It was the beginning of a 49-year relationship, Sullivan evolving first into governess, and then companion.[5]
As soon as she arrived at the Kellers' house in Tuscumbia, Alabama, as a young instructor from the north, she quarreled with Helen's parents about the Civil War and over the fact that the Kellers used to own slaves.[6] She met the then-six-year-old Helen and immediately began to teach her to communicate, by spelling words into her hand, beginning with d‑o‑l‑l for the doll that she had brought her as a present.[5] Keller was frustrated at first, because she did not understand that every object had a word uniquely identifying it. Her big breakthrough in communication came the next month. She realized that the motions her teacher was making on the palm of her hand, while running cool water over her other hand, symbolized the idea of water. She then nearly exhausted Sullivan demanding the names of all the other familiar objects in her world. As lifelong companions, Sullivan and Keller continually lived, worked, and traveled together.[5]
Next, she strongly encouraged Helen's parents to send the child to the Perkins School for the Blind where she could have an appropriate teaching. With their approval, Sullivan brought Helen to Boston in 1888 and stayed with her there. Anne continued to teach her bright protégée, who soon became famous for her remarkable progress. With the help of Michael Anagnos, head of the school, Helen Keller became the figure of Perkins School for the Blind and brought funds and donations, making it the most famous and sought-after school for the blind in the country.
When Helen graduated from Perkins, Anne followed her to New York City, where they frequented the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf. In this institution, they tried to acquire the skills of lip-reading and oral speech.[7]
Personal life
Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan vacationing at Cape Cod in July 1888
On May 3, 1905, Anne Sullivan married a Harvard University instructor and literary critic, John Albert Macy (1877–1932), who had helped Keller with her publications. He moved in with Keller and Sullivan, and the three lived together. However, within a few years, the marriage began to disintegrate. By 1914 they had separated, though Macy was listed as living as a lodger with Sullivan and Keller in the 1920 U.S. Census.[8] Sullivan and Macy never officially divorced. In the early years after their separation, Macy wrote and asked for money, and as the years progressed, Macy appears to have faded from Sullivan's life. Sullivan never remarried.[9]
Awards
In 1932, Helen and Anne were each awarded honorary fellowships from the Educational Institute of Scotland. They also were awarded honorary degrees from Temple University.[10]
Death
Sullivan had been seriously visually impaired for almost all of her life, but by 1935 she was completely blind in both eyes. She died on October 20, 1936, aged 70, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, after falling into a coma. Sullivan died with Keller holding her hand.[11] When Keller died in 1968, her ashes were placed in the Washington National Cathedral next to those of Sullivan.
Media representation
Anne Sullivan is an integral character in The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson, originally produced for television, where she was portrayed by Teresa Wright.[12] The play then moved to Broadway, and was later produced as a 1962 feature film. Both the Broadway play and 1962 film featured Anne Bancroft in the Sullivan role.[13] Patty Duke—who played Helen Keller in the 1962 film version—later played Sullivan in a 1979 television remake.[14] Alison Elliott portrayed her in a 2000 television movie.[15] Alison Pill played Sullivan on Broadway in the short-lived 2010 revival of The Miracle Worker, with Abigail Breslin as Keller.
Both Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles as Sullivan and Keller in the 1962 film version.
Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts. According to her baptismal certificate, her name at birth was Johanna Mansfield Sullivan; however, she was called Anne from birth.[2] Her parents were Thomas and Alice (née Cloesy) Sullivan, Irish immigrants who reportedly couldn't read and were almost penniless.[2] Alice died in 1874, probably from tuberculosis;[3] after which Anne and her younger brother, James (Jimmie) were sent to an almshouse in Tewksbury, Massachusetts (today part of Tewksbury Hospital). Anne spent seven years there.[2] In 1880, blind from an untreated trachoma, she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind. Aside from her brother James (born 1869),[4] she also had two sisters, Ellen (born 1867)[3] and Mary.
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2012)
Some teachers recognized Sullivan's intelligence and tamed her headstrong ways. Michael Anagnos, director of the Institute, then located in South Boston, encouraged her to tutor younger students. She also underwent eye surgery that partially restored her vision. Sullivan graduated from Perkins School for the Blind in 1886, when she was 20 years old, as the valedictorian of her class. Anagnos was approached to suggest a teacher for a deaf-blind girl, Helen Keller. He asked Sullivan, herself visually impaired and only 20 years old, to become her instructor. Sullivan arrived at Keller's house in the small Alabama town of Tuscumbia on March 3, 1887. It was the beginning of a 49-year relationship, Sullivan evolving first into governess, and then companion.[5]
As soon as she arrived at the Kellers' house in Tuscumbia, Alabama, as a young instructor from the north, she quarreled with Helen's parents about the Civil War and over the fact that the Kellers used to own slaves.[6] She met the then-six-year-old Helen and immediately began to teach her to communicate, by spelling words into her hand, beginning with d‑o‑l‑l for the doll that she had brought her as a present.[5] Keller was frustrated at first, because she did not understand that every object had a word uniquely identifying it. Her big breakthrough in communication came the next month. She realized that the motions her teacher was making on the palm of her hand, while running cool water over her other hand, symbolized the idea of water. She then nearly exhausted Sullivan demanding the names of all the other familiar objects in her world. As lifelong companions, Sullivan and Keller continually lived, worked, and traveled together.[5]
Next, she strongly encouraged Helen's parents to send the child to the Perkins School for the Blind where she could have an appropriate teaching. With their approval, Sullivan brought Helen to Boston in 1888 and stayed with her there. Anne continued to teach her bright protégée, who soon became famous for her remarkable progress. With the help of Michael Anagnos, head of the school, Helen Keller became the figure of Perkins School for the Blind and brought funds and donations, making it the most famous and sought-after school for the blind in the country.
When Helen graduated from Perkins, Anne followed her to New York City, where they frequented the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf. In this institution, they tried to acquire the skills of lip-reading and oral speech.[7]
Personal life
Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan vacationing at Cape Cod in July 1888
On May 3, 1905, Anne Sullivan married a Harvard University instructor and literary critic, John Albert Macy (1877–1932), who had helped Keller with her publications. He moved in with Keller and Sullivan, and the three lived together. However, within a few years, the marriage began to disintegrate. By 1914 they had separated, though Macy was listed as living as a lodger with Sullivan and Keller in the 1920 U.S. Census.[8] Sullivan and Macy never officially divorced. In the early years after their separation, Macy wrote and asked for money, and as the years progressed, Macy appears to have faded from Sullivan's life. Sullivan never remarried.[9]
Awards
In 1932, Helen and Anne were each awarded honorary fellowships from the Educational Institute of Scotland. They also were awarded honorary degrees from Temple University.[10]
Death
Sullivan had been seriously visually impaired for almost all of her life, but by 1935 she was completely blind in both eyes. She died on October 20, 1936, aged 70, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, after falling into a coma. Sullivan died with Keller holding her hand.[11] When Keller died in 1968, her ashes were placed in the Washington National Cathedral next to those of Sullivan.
Media representation
Anne Sullivan is an integral character in The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson, originally produced for television, where she was portrayed by Teresa Wright.[12] The play then moved to Broadway, and was later produced as a 1962 feature film. Both the Broadway play and 1962 film featured Anne Bancroft in the Sullivan role.[13] Patty Duke—who played Helen Keller in the 1962 film version—later played Sullivan in a 1979 television remake.[14] Alison Elliott portrayed her in a 2000 television movie.[15] Alison Pill played Sullivan on Broadway in the short-lived 2010 revival of The Miracle Worker, with Abigail Breslin as Keller.
Both Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles as Sullivan and Keller in the 1962 film version.
