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Along Life’s Way
Undaunted,
Dr. Brown and Topsy
By Lois E. Wilson
In 1888, Eleanor Brown was born in Osborn (now Fairborn) Ohio. She
began to lose her vision at age six and was completely blind by eleven.
She attended the Ohio School for the Blind in Columbus and finished her
high school education in 1908.
She loved to read using both Line Print and the New York point system.
Later she learned Braille. It has been reported that at times she read
until her fingers bled. Audio books were not common at that time.
In 1911, she persuaded Ohio State University to admit her and 3½ years
later was the first blind woman to graduate from there.
She came to Dayton and taught German, Latin, world and American history
at the old Steele High School. When it was abandoned as a school, she
became a teacher at Wilbur Wright High School. She was not fooled by
the students—she knew when they were chewing gum or acting up. She knew
when the principal had quietly entered the classroom to observe her.
She never let on that she was aware he was there.
She took a leave of absence and in 1924 earned a master’s degree from
Columbia University and in 1934 a doctoral degree. Her dissertation was
focused on the life of John Milton who became blind late in life. She
stated: “To my interpretation of Milton’s life and writing after his
loss of sight, I add my knowledge of blindness. By similarity of
experience alone, I am rendered a more able critic.” She authored a
book on Milton and did lectures about his writing and blindness. Her
autobiography “Corridors of Light” can be found on the
(daytonhistorybooks.com) website.
In 1933, back in Dayton, Dr. Brown moved into the Biltmore Hotel. It
was located in the center of the city and became her permanent
residence. After the hotel assured her that they would accommodate a
Seeing Eye dog and the school district agreed for her to have one in
the classroom, Dr. Brown went to New Jersey to obtain a dog.
Topsy was a black Chesapeake retriever. It was the first Seeing Eye dog
in Dayton. Dr. Brown and Topsy would walk around the city, attend
concerts and travel. Topsy adapted to life at school, greeted the
students, and then settled down during lessons.
I met Dr. Brown and Topsy in the 1940’s. My father was a teacher at
Wilbur Wright. He often picked them up at the Biltmore to take them to
school events. I liked to go along. Dr. Brown sat in the front seat and
Topsy would climb into the back and lie down at my feet. She loved to
be petted and was always a perfect companion. Topsy was with Dr. Brown
for 10 years. Later dogs she had were Miss Effie and Gillie. She was
writing a book about Seeing Eye dogs when she died of cancer in 1964.
Dr. Brown was an inspiration to me. She taught me the value of
education no matter your circumstances. She and Topsy taught that by
working together you can conquer many challenges impossible to do alone.
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