The 29th of January marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of The Seeing Eye, Inc. That diamond anniversary was celebrated on the 4th of February by a reception and play here in Nashville. I had the privilege of attending the event. Only the urgency of the presidential primary election prevented me from reporting about it sooner. Although the 75th anniversary itself was noted by both the Nashville City Paper and the Nashville Tennessean, the actual anniversary celebration was only covered by this writer. It was clearly apparent — especially considering the number of dog guides inside the Main Library in downtown Nashville — that these Seeing Eye dogs are more valuable than diamonds to the owners that depend upon them
“The Seeing Eye” was the title of a 1927 article in the Saturday Evening Post — which was the most popular magazine in the world at that time. When he learned about that article from his friend at a local newsstand, Nashville resident Morris Frank became determined to prove that “dog guides” were a viable concept. Morris Frank traveled to the estate of Dorothy Harrison Eustis — a wealthy American living in Switzerland. She had written the article, and was supporting the training of dogs as guides for blind people. Her program was modeled after a German program for veterans of World War One. From that visit by one curious man came a program that is now world-renowned.
In an exclusive interview at the anniversary celebration, Kenneth Rosenthal, president of The Seeing Eye, Inc., told Men’s News Daily, “I’m just so happy to be in Nashville, because this is where it all began. And, it’s wonderful that Nashville opened its doors to Morris and his dog.”
Nashville’s mayor, Bill Purcell, grew up in Philadelphia. There, he had heard stories about The Seeing Eye, which has its headquarters in nearby Morristown, New Jersey. Mayor Purcell had these exclusive remarks, “Morris Frank had the incredible strength of character to reach out to a woman he didn’t know — to test his theory, and to test Nashville. It’s gratifying to know that both his theory and Nashville have passed the test.
“I just hope that this event will be part of an ongoing recollection. We’re fortunate to have members of the Frank family here with us. These are the people that lived — and are living — the story.”
Mary Silkworth, of the Morris Animal Foundation in Denver, Colorado, was there to honor The Seeing Eye. Her foundation, coincidentally, was named after Dr. Mark Morris — not after Morris Frank. Doctor Morris was a veterinarian that developed the first food program specifically designed for a dog. Prior to his pioneering work to help the first American dog guide — named Buddy — people generally fed their dogs only table scraps. Doctor Morris created the special food, because Buddy was constantly traveling with Morris Frank to promote the viability of the guide program. Later, it was Dr. Morris’ wife that came up with the idea to put dog food into a can, so it could be taken on the road.
In her visionary style, Mrs. Eustis had recruited wealthy friends to support the work of The Seeing Eye from the beginning. And, private fundraising is still the only support that the program gets. Although providing a dog to a blind person costs about fifty thousand dollars, the recipient pays a fee of only $150 for the first dog, and $50 for any subsequent dog. And, if a person is blinded in the service of the United States or Canada, that person will pay only one dollar for any dog from The Seeing Eye. Those fees have not changed since 1934.
Ken Duncan and Patricia Lewis Duncan were two donors at the reception. Ken is a retired pipefitter that also used to breed and show great Danes. Patricia is an artist, so she deeply appreciates her sight. After retiring from her career as a commercial graphic artist, she now works in art on her own. Ken and Patricia agreed that The Seeing Eye was “the right cause” for them to support. About two hundred people at the diamond anniversary celebration felt the same way.
The highlight of the celebration was a one-man, one-act play. The play was written and performed by award-winning actor and storyteller Bill Mooney. (He has won two Emmy Awards for acting, and was nominated twice for Grammy Awards for recordings of his stories. He is best known for portraying Paul Martin on the TV serial All My Children.) Mooney lives near Morristown, and originally came to The Seeing Eye in search of good stories about dogs. In preparing the play, Mooney was able to interview Lois Frank (Morris’ widow) before she died. Mooney also studied audiotapes of Morris Frank. A staff member at The Seeing Eye provided the tapes.
The result of Mooney’s search for a good story is a captivating experience. Mooney’s portrayal of Morris Frank was filled with sincerity and intensity. The play conveyed the feeling of having accompanied Morris Frank across the ocean, around the country, and through the decades as he paved the way to independence and dignity for blind people and their dogs. Looking around the room, most everyone was crying when he told the story of Buddy giving one last lick just before she died. Mooney told Men’s News Daily that he has been doing this one-man play for about ten years now, and still enjoys the presentations greatly. He regards The Seeing Eye as a noble and worthy cause.
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photo montage from website of Morris Frank had a strong streak of determination, which had already begun to evidence itself well before he read the 1927 article. As a young boy, he had been blinded in one eye when poked by a hanging branch while riding a horse. At age 16, he was blinded in the other eye during a boxing match. (The fact that he went into a boxing ring with one bad eye gives evidence of his stubbornly confident personality. That would serve him well as a champion of his cause.) Despite his blindness, Morris was able to gain admission into prestigious Vanderbilt University. It was while walking to class one day that he learned about the magazine article that would change his life.
His personality could be summed up by the word “intense”. (I certainly don’t see that as a bad thing.) That intensity provided the power to overcome obstacles, and it also led to “salty language” descriptions and confrontations. Although his intensity provided many victories for his cause, it also chafed people — even those closest to him. Mooney recreated one such scene, when Morris became “a bit testy” with his wife during a long drive. At one point, Lois simply pulled the car to the side of the road, walked around, opened the door, handed him the keys, and said, “OK, smart ass, you drive!”
If not for that intensity, however, blind people might not have the independence and mobility that they now enjoy. In his day, Morris Frank encountered store owners that would not even allow blind people — much less their dogs — into a store. Restaurants initially proved even more difficult. But, through a combination of Morris’ determination and Buddy’s flawless performance, these obstacles were eventually pushed aside. It is because of Morris Frank that dog guides are able to accompany blind people in hotels, restaurants, churches, trains, airplanes, etc.
Flawless performance is the hallmark of these working dogs. They are not pets, although they are certainly loved as much as any pet. Not only are the dogs trained in every aspect of routine dog obedience, they are also taught a unique concept called “intelligent disobedience”. It is this concept that makes the dog truly special, and qualifies it to guide blind people. The concept was demonstrated by dog trainer Melissa Beard, who commanded dog-in-training Jones to walk with her off the end of the stage. Jones began to obey the command “forward”. But, when it became clear to Jones that continuing to walk forward would present a danger, he turned his body, and gently blocked Melissa’s legs from being able to move. He did this about five feet short of the end of the stage, which was enough distance to prevent her from being able to fall off.
I have personally owned a total of four German shepherd dogs over the years, and have an amazing respect for their innate intelligence. And, while in the Air Force, I worked frequently with canine handlers. I sometimes served as a “catcher” — the person that wears a protective wrap, and is attacked by a dog during training. But, in all my years of experience with skilled dogs, I have never seen such a keen display of teamwork and intelligence. Jones performed his duty with a gentle grace; yet, there was no doubt of his firm determination to protect his handler from danger. (Yes, of course, the audience applauded!)
The
blind people that receive these remarkable dogs must also be trained.
The training for the dogs starts with 18 months of simple upbringing
and basic obedience. This is done by various families in the Northeast,
who are known as “puppy raisers” for The Seeing Eye. Then, the dog
is brought to the 60-acre campus at Morristown to begin a four-month
specialized course. After the dog is trained, it takes another three
or four weeks to train the person to work with the dog. The person
and the dog are a team. Morris Frank realized that, not only could
he not live a fulfilling life without his dog guide; but, the dog
could not use all its God-given talent without a person to serve.
The name of the program, The Seeing Eye, comes from Proverbs 20:12,
“The seeing eye, the hearing ear; The Lord hath made them both.”
For 75 years, the cause of independence and dignity for blind people has gone “forward” with the aid of dogs from The Seeing Eye, Inc. For a man that had lost his sight, Morris Frank certainly had a lot of vision. If you would like to help maintain that vision, please click here. (And, it would also help if you tell them that you read about it at Men’s News Daily.)
