Individual 2547: Agnes Viola Lindquist

Individual Record 2547

Name} Lindquist, Agnes Viola

Family History} Hancock

Title}

Race} White

Sex} Female

Birth: Date} Exa 29 Sep 1916

Place} Turlock Township, Stanislaus, California

Marr.: Date} Exa 3 Jan 1960

Place} , Henderson, Vance, North Carolina (Link)

Death: Date} Exa 3 Feb 1990

Place} , Vance County, North Carolina

Burial: Date} Cir 6 Feb 1990

Place} , , North Carolina

Grave Marker}

Source 1}	1494=Birth record
Source 2}	1119=Family history
Source 3}	1491=Family history
Source 4}	1495=1920 USA cen
Source 5}	1498=1930 USA cen
Source 6}	1499=1940 USA cen
Source 7}	1501=Yearbook
Source 8}	1502=School rec
Source 9}	1503=Newspapers
Source 10}	1504=City directory
Source 11}	1506=Letter
Source 12}	1541=Marriage rec
Source 13}	1505=Death record
Source 14}	661 = Death record

Parents: } Charles J. H. Lindquist & Syster Selma W. Peterson
Relationship No.} 891

1st Household No.}

Occupation 1} Teaching of the blind
Occupation 2} Case worker for the blind

Religion/Church}

Spouses: Prime} Pernell, James Toliver
Total Number of} 1

Notes: Pretty and blonde, Agnes was totally blind almost since birth. However, her accomplishments were truly amazing.

Her first schooling was at the California School for the Blind at

Berkeley. While there she came to the attention of Dr. Newel Perry, a graduate of the blind school who devoted his life to aiding sightless students. He urged Agnes to prepare for a university career.

At the end of the ninth grade Agnes entered University High School in Berkeley where she took a regular program of study. She had little difficulty except in laboratory classes where, thanks to her sensitive tongue, she became the official taster of the class.

Agnes next enrolled in Modesto Junior College. She stated "Living in a world of eternal darkness where you must learn to see with your ears and hands is not as difficult as most people suppose. At home I find my way around the ranch without any difficulty. Even on the campus it's no trouble at all to get around. Students are always kind and willing to lend a helping hand." Agnes said she feels her way through classes. She took all notes in Braille with the aid of a punch, a small perferated ruler, and sheets of heavy paper. She was so adept at reading Braille that she often gave public readings.

Agnes was an excellent student. She was elected to the Quarterdeck Society, an all-activities honorary organization — and to Alpha Gamma Sigma, a campus scholastic society. She also was active in debating and was a member of Beta Phi, a biological sciences club. The photo at the right shows Agnes in 1937 as she was graduating from Modesto Junior College.

Agnes next enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley. The photo below was in the university's 1939 Blue and Gold yearbook. She graduated from U.C. with a B.A. degree from the College of Letters and Science with a Public Speaking major.

After graduation from U.C. with her A.B. degree, Agnes enrolled as a U.C. graduate student in Education and began practice teaching at the California School for the Blind. However, Dr. Perry of that School notified U.C. students that a guide dog would be necessary for Agnes to begin a teaching career. This resulted in a campus-wide campaign for the aid of blind students. Originally Agnes was to receive a "Seeing Eye" dog, but plans were changed when the Seeing Eye Institue announced that purchasing dogs for blind students by organizations was against its policy. Then Bette Davis, movie star and president of the "Tailwaggers" association, came to Miss Lindquist's aid, reducing the price of a dog from $450 to the $300 collected by the students.

On 15 Jun 1940 Agnes left to begin training at the Tailwaggers school in Hollywood, where she met Asta and where the two spent a month learning to understand one another, to cross intersections, to climb stairs, and to follow set routines. Asta did not know the university campus as well as Agnes, and, when allowed to lead, invariably would head for the library.

During the next year, Agnes received her teacher training at the blind school. Under the supervision of Dr. Perry, she taught elementary grade groups in social sciences, English, and arithmetic. A pictorial story about Agnes was featured in the May 1941 edition of The California Monthly, U.C's alumni magazine. A photo of Agnes and her dog, Asta, appeared on the cover of that publication.

This period marked the beginning of a new era of independence for Agnes, a freedom made possible by Asta. She liked to attend movies, where she sat with another person and got a thumbnail description of the scene. She also liked to swim, to hike, to listen to concerts on the radio, to read romantic novels to one of her friends, and even to roller-skate, to ride horseback, and to dance to swing music. She lived in an apartment which she shared with three others, washed dishes, made beds, and did shopping.

Agnes received her M.A. degree from U.C. in 1943. By 1947 she had moved to Henderson, North Carolina, where she worked, at least until 1959, as a case worker for the blind.

Agnes was reported in 1980 to have retired from social work and to have been widowed in 1981. She passed on in 1990 in North Carolina.