Eleanor Gertrude Brown (August 28, 1887 — July 21, 1964) was an American

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

scholar and educator.

Early life

Eleanor Gertrude Brown was from

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. She was blind from infancy, and educated at the

Ohio State School for the Blind Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB or OSB) is a school located in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for blind and visually impaired students across Ohio. It was established in 1837, making it the natio ...

, graduating in the class of 1908. She completed undergraduate studies at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in 1914,"Eleanor Gertrude Brown"
''Outlook for the Blind'' (Winter 1916): 99-100. the school's first blind graduate."Dr. Eleanor Brown, a Blind Teacher, 76"
''New York Times'' (July 22, 1964): 33. She earned a master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1924, and a doctoral degree from the same institution in 1934.

Career

For forty years, until her retirement in 1952, Brown taught English, German, Latin, and history to sighted students, at Steele High School in Dayton. In 1960, she was honored by the Dayton Federation of Women's Clubs as Outstanding Woman of the Year. Books by Eleanor Gertrude Brown include ''Milton's Blindness'' (1934), a work of literary scholarship based on her doctoral dissertation about

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

; ''Into the Light'' (1946), a book of poetry; and ''Corridors of Light'' (1958), a memoir of her own education, with an introduction by

Harry Emerson Fosdick Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 – October 5, 1969) was an American pastor. Fosdick became a central figure in the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy within American Protestantism in the 1920s and 1930s and was one of the most prominen ...

. "To my interpretation of Milton's life and writing after the loss of sight, I add my knowledge of blindness," she explained of her scholarship. "By similarity of experience alone, I am rendered a more able critic."David T. Mitchell, Sharon L. Snyder
''Narrative Prosthesis: Disability and the Dependencies of Discourse''
(University of Michigan Press 2000): 31.

Personal life

Eleanor Gertrude Brown died in 1964, from stomach cancer, aged 76 years.Mary Ellen Wolfe

''Dayton Journal Herald'' (July 22, 1964). Her ''Milton's Blindness'' was reissued by

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

in 2011, as an important work in Milton studies.

References

External links

* Full text o
Brown's memoir, ''Corridors of Light''
at Dayton History Books Online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Eleanor Gertrude 1887 births 1964 deaths Writers from Dayton, Ohio 20th-century American educators Ohio State University alumni Columbia University alumni Blind writers Blind scholars and academics American women writers Educators from Ohio 20th-century American women educators American blind people American writers with disabilities