Born in June of 1880 in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, Helen Keller enjoyed a happy childhood until an illness—most likely scarlet fever—left her deaf, dumb, and blind at just nineteen months old. As…
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Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan
Helen Keller’s teacher, Miss Anne Sullivan, was the most profound influence on Helen’s life and her dearest companion. Miss Sullivan came to Tuscumbia, Alabama in the spring of Helen’s sixth year, and Helen writes of…
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Dr. Alexander Graham Bell
The famed inventor of the telephone and a devoted advocate on behalf of blind and deaf children, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell became a friend and mentor to Helen when she was still a young girl…
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Mr. Anagnos
The director of the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, Mr. Anagnos is a dear friend to Helen and an educator deeply invested in her growth and success. When Helen composes a short story…
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Arthur H. Keller
Helen’s father, whose lineage traces back to Switzerland, where one of his ancestors was the first teacher of deaf children in Zurich. Arthur is a newspaper editor and an avid hunter. He supports Helen through…
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"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Helen’s speech teacher at the Horace Mann School in New York City.
Kate Adams Keller
Helen’s mother, with whom Helen has a very close and special relationship.
Mildred Keller
Helen’s younger sister. Mildred enrolls at the same preparatory school in Cambridge that Helen attends, and the two enjoy their time studying together until Helen is forced to leave the school to seek private tutoring.
Martha Washington
The daughter of the Keller family’s cook and one of Helen’s childhood playmates.