Susan Buckingham Merwin (November 21, 1874 – May 6, 1923) was an American educator, publisher, and superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind.
Susan B. Merwin | |
|---|---|
 Susan B. Merwin, photographed in 1916; photo appeared with her 1923 obituary in the Outlook for the Blind magazine. | |
| Born | Susan Buckingham Merwin November 21, 1874 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1923 (aged 48) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, publisher, superintendent |
| Years active | 1895-1923 |
| Known for | Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind and of the American Printing House for the Blind |
Early life
editMerwin was born in Louisville, Kentucky, one of the five children of Samuel Miles Merwin and Mary Irvine Merwin.[1] Her father was from Connecticut,[2] and her mother was from Pennsylvania. She attended Girls' High School in Louisville, and trained at a teacher in the city's normal school.[3]
Career
editMerwin taught at the Kentucky School for the Blind beginning in 1895,[4] and was superintendent of the school from 1913 to her death in 1923. She was the second woman in the United States to become superintendent of a state school for the blind.[5] She started Boy Scout[6] and Girl Scout troops at the school,[1] and wrote articles about the school's work.[7] She was elected vice-president of the American Association of Instructors of the Blind in 1915. She also served as president of the Louisville Council of Social Workers.[1]
Beginning in 1919, Merwin was also secretary of the American Printing House for the Blind,[8] and associate editor of the national magazine Outlook for the Blind.[9] She served on the Commission on Uniform Type for the Blind.[10] She testified before a Congressional committee in 1920, explaining the work of the American Printing House for the Blind, and its need for federal funding.[11]
Personal life
editMerwin died in 1923, from pneumonia and influenza, aged 48 years, in Louisville.[12][13][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kleber, John E. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 613–614. ISBN 978-0-8131-2100-0.
- ^ Ricker, Jacquelyn L. (1979). Families of Early Milford, Connecticut. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-8063-0838-8.
- ^ a b "Miss Merwin is Taken by Death". The Courier-Journal. 1923-05-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-07-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Applegate, Kris (2014-06-23). Legendary Locals of Louisville. Arcadia Publishing. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-4396-4587-1.
- ^ "Kentucky School for the Blind". The North Central Association of Schools for the Blind. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "The Boy Scouts of America; Scouting Inspires Many Unfortunate Boys". Work with Boys: A Magazine of Methods. 11: 161. November 1911.
- ^ Merwin, Susan B. (1918-06-01). "Why Typewriting?". Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 12 (2): 49–51. doi:10.1177/0145482X1801200205. ISSN 0145-482X. S2CID 220539429.
- ^ "Fourth Report of the Commission on Uniform Type for the Blind". Outlook for the Blind. 13: 5. Summer 1919.
- ^ "Masthead". Outlook for the Blind. 14: xx. Spring 1920.
- ^ "Fifth Report of the Commission on Uniform Type for the Blind". Evergreen Review. 1: 5. September 1920.
- ^ United States Congress House Appropriations Committee (December 3, 1920). Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill, 1922, Hearings . . . 66th Congress, 3d Session, Parts 1,2. pp. 406–410.
- ^ "Susan B. Merwin". The Courier-Journal. 1923-05-08. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-07-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Susan B. Merwin". The New Outlook for the Blind. 17: 26–27. September 1923.
