Acknowledgments
Nearly all of the stories were culled from George Teegarden’s story collection Stories, Old and New, published by the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 1896. Nearly all of the poems chosen for this volume are from Teegarden’s self-published Vagrant Verses in 1929. A few of his uncollected stories and poems were found in his school’s newspaper, The Western Pennsylvanian. Some of the material was later reprinted in The Tactile Mind.
This project would not have been possible if not for John Lee Clark’s extraordinary vision and André Pellerin’s generous hospitality. Research suggestions from Brian C. Lewis and Katherine DeLorenzo proved fruitful. The thoughtful guidance and assistance provided by Ulf Hedberg and his staff at the Gallaudet University Archives was most appreciated. Michael La Rocca and Rita Rich have helped out in small but very significant ways. I truly appreciate Louis M. Miranda for allowing us to use his photograph of me. I am also grateful to Brenda Brueggemann, Jill Porco, Ivey Pittle Wallace, and John Van Cleve at Gallaudet University Press for making this book happen. As always, many thanks go to Tom Steele for his support in ways large and small, not only during this project, but also over the years.