Helen Heckman | |
---|---|
Born | Helen Elizabeth Heckman December 10, 1898 Manito, Illinois |
Died | April 1975 |
Occupation | Dancer |
Helen Elizabeth Heckman (December 10, 1898 – April 17, 1975) was a deaf American dancer from Oklahoma.
Helen Elizabeth Heckman was born in Manito, Illinois, and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, [1] with summers on Cayuga Lake in New York. [2] She was the daughter of Philip E. Heckman (1860–1932) [3] and Anna Foster Heckman (1868–1908). [4]
Heckman was deaf after surviving meningitis in infancy, and did not speak but used some gestural language until age 12. [5] [6] Her stepmother, Vina Janet French Heckman (1874–1972), [7] "vetoed the sign language at the outset" [5] and oversaw Heckman's training to speak, sing, play piano, and dance. [8] [9] "I got little encouragement from the institutions, even those here in the East," Mrs. Heckman noted later. "I had to devise for myself." [10] V. Janet Heckman later spoke as an expert on parenting and child development. [11]
Heckman performed as a dancer in the 1920s, often in elaborate costumes, including on a tour of Europe, with her sister Mildred, a violinist. [12] [13] Her stepmother continued to supervise her daily life and associations, into her twenties. [10] In 1928, Heckman wrote a memoir, My Life Transformed, [14] about her education. [15] [16]
Photographs and details of Heckman's life were featured in publications for the general public and for deaf readers. [17] [18] [19] She was often presented as an inspirational example of "overcoming", [20] highlighting her youthful beauty [21] and physical fitness and celebrating her fluent speech. [22] [23] "Ten years ago you would have pitied Helen Heckman," began one newspaper profile in 1922, after she won second prize in a national beauty contest, explaining that "Helen has been metamorphosed by her brilliant step-mother into a charming, cultured girl of keen mentality." [24]
Heckman married Vina Janet Heckman's younger brother, [25] Erwin Dingley French (1890–1969) in 1956, [26] as his second wife. [27] [28] She died in 1975, aged 76 years. Her grave is with her husband's, at River Bend Cemetery in Rhode Island. [29]
Helen Heckman | |
---|---|
Born | Helen Elizabeth Heckman December 10, 1898 Manito, Illinois |
Died | April 1975 |
Occupation | Dancer |
Helen Elizabeth Heckman (December 10, 1898 – April 17, 1975) was a deaf American dancer from Oklahoma.
Helen Elizabeth Heckman was born in Manito, Illinois, and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, [1] with summers on Cayuga Lake in New York. [2] She was the daughter of Philip E. Heckman (1860–1932) [3] and Anna Foster Heckman (1868–1908). [4]
Heckman was deaf after surviving meningitis in infancy, and did not speak but used some gestural language until age 12. [5] [6] Her stepmother, Vina Janet French Heckman (1874–1972), [7] "vetoed the sign language at the outset" [5] and oversaw Heckman's training to speak, sing, play piano, and dance. [8] [9] "I got little encouragement from the institutions, even those here in the East," Mrs. Heckman noted later. "I had to devise for myself." [10] V. Janet Heckman later spoke as an expert on parenting and child development. [11]
Heckman performed as a dancer in the 1920s, often in elaborate costumes, including on a tour of Europe, with her sister Mildred, a violinist. [12] [13] Her stepmother continued to supervise her daily life and associations, into her twenties. [10] In 1928, Heckman wrote a memoir, My Life Transformed, [14] about her education. [15] [16]
Photographs and details of Heckman's life were featured in publications for the general public and for deaf readers. [17] [18] [19] She was often presented as an inspirational example of "overcoming", [20] highlighting her youthful beauty [21] and physical fitness and celebrating her fluent speech. [22] [23] "Ten years ago you would have pitied Helen Heckman," began one newspaper profile in 1922, after she won second prize in a national beauty contest, explaining that "Helen has been metamorphosed by her brilliant step-mother into a charming, cultured girl of keen mentality." [24]
Heckman married Vina Janet Heckman's younger brother, [25] Erwin Dingley French (1890–1969) in 1956, [26] as his second wife. [27] [28] She died in 1975, aged 76 years. Her grave is with her husband's, at River Bend Cemetery in Rhode Island. [29]