Helen Keller triumphed over the limitations of blindness and deafness
On my walk beneath the main sanctuary of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., I discovered St. Joseph’s Chapel, the final resting place of the remarkable blind advocate, Helen Keller.
As I entered, I was met by an impressive gate, and just beyond it lay the urn niche of Helen Keller alongside her devoted companion, Anne Sullivan Macy.
Helen was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and at just 19 months old, an illness—likely scarlet fever—left her both blind and deaf.
At age six, Helen was examined by telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, whose mother and wife were deaf. Recognizing her potential, Bell arranged for Anne Sullivan, a 20-year-old teacher from the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, to become Helen’s instructor. Together, Helen and Anne shared an extraordinary bond for 49 years.
Helen Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree. She became a tireless advocate for the blind, championed women’s suffrage, and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.
Helen Adams Keller passed away in Westport, Connecticut, on June 1, 1968, at the age of 87.
1880-1968
Entrance to St. Joseph’s Chapel, Washington Cathedral.
Gates leading into the columbarium where Helen Keller is interred with her companion.
Braille appropriately included under the names and dates on the memorial plaque.
*photos taken and owned by Phil Crawford
