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Anne Sullivan Macy (born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, April 14, 1866 – October 20, 1936) was an American teacher best known for helping UsefulNotes/HelenKeller and being her lifelong companion.

She herself was partially blind after having trachoma and was educated at the Perkins School for the Blind and became Keller's teacher at age 20.

She was married to John Albert Macy.

to:

Anne Sullivan Macy (born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, April 14, 1866 – October 20, 1936) was an American Irish-American teacher best known for helping UsefulNotes/HelenKeller and being her lifelong companion.

She
companion (and, Keller would say, liberator).

Annie
herself was partially blind after having trachoma as a child. After several horrific years at the Massachusetts state almshouse at Tewkesbury (warehousing for unwed mothers, prostitutes and the "pauper insane"), and witnessing the death of her brother from tuberculosis of the bone, Annie escaped by calling attention to her situation in front of a group of state inspectors out to reform such places. She had a couple of partially successful eye surgeries and was educated at the Perkins School for the Blind Blind, graduating with honors as valedictorian. (While the attitude towards Irish people as not "white", or at least as not quite human, was lessening in the 1880s, there was still some prejudice on the part of the high class "Boston Brahmins" who funded the Perkins school, and became Keller's teacher at age to have an Irish-American peasant girl representing the class of '87 and giving the farewell address was somewhat controversial. Annie broke many barriers in her lifetime.)

As she'd become close friends with Perkins graduate and full-time resident Laura Bridgman, the first deaf-blind person to receive a full education, she was fluent in the manual alphabet used to communicate with deaf-blind people. When Helen's mother wrote to Perkins asking if they knew of someone who could communicate with and educate Helen, Annie was thought the most suitable person. She was
20.

She was with Helen all the way through her university studies at Radcliffe, spelling out all the lectures to her and reading her all the books that couldn't be gotten in Braille. Many people still feel Annie should have received a degree herself along with Helen, who graduated ''cum laude'' in 1904. She did get a couple of honorary degrees from other institutions.

She was married to John Albert Macy.
Macy in 1905. He was a literature professor at Harvard and an ardent socialist, who explained socialism to Helen and was partly responsible for her embracing that political philosophy.
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A photo of Helen in an article about Annie is ironically amusing but incorrect. I chose an early photo that shows her tough spirit.


[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anne_sullivan.jpg]]

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[[quoteright:300:https://static.[[quoteright:202:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anne_sullivan.org/pmwiki/pub/images/annesullivanmacy_6.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:202:Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.]]

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Anne Sullivan Macy (born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, April 14, 1866-October 20, 1936) was an American teacher best known for helping UsefulNotes/HelenKeller and being her lifelong companion.

to:

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anne_sullivan.jpg]]

Anne Sullivan Macy (born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, April 14, 1866-October 1866 – October 20, 1936) was an American teacher best known for helping UsefulNotes/HelenKeller and being her lifelong companion.
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Added DiffLines:

Anne Sullivan Macy (born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, April 14, 1866-October 20, 1936) was an American teacher best known for helping UsefulNotes/HelenKeller and being her lifelong companion.

She herself was partially blind after having trachoma and was educated at the Perkins School for the Blind and became Keller's teacher at age 20.

She was married to John Albert Macy.

Sullivan died in 1936 at the age of 70 after suffering coronary thrombosis.

!Media
[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/TheMiracleWorker'': She was played by Creator/TeresaWhite in the original play, Creator/AnneBancroft in the 1962 version and Creator/PattyDuke in the 1979.

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