(Irish Deaf Archives - Case Study No 13 - John McCandless)
(Narrated by Paul Waldron)
John McCandless was born in Derry a good while ago.
(Derry on the Map of Ireland)
At that time, Derry was part of Old Ireland.
John was sent to school in Scotland.
(Map of Scotland)
(Emigration)
John's family eventually decided to emigrate to America.
(Map of USA)
It was there that John completed his studies and went to college.
(John went to Kendall School 1901-1903)
He went on to attend Gallaudet College in Washington DC.
(Gallaudet College (1903-1905)
(Heroes - 24 April 1905)
A woman fell into the water and was swept away by the rapids
in between the rocks, for about three miles.
John saw the woman in distress so he tried to save her by swimming out to her.
(The Potomac Rapids Near Washington DC)
The woman was almost unconscious, so John stayed with her at the rock until help came.
Her life was saved.
The two Deaf men who saved her life was Mc Candless and Jaffray.
They were celebrated as heroes, much applauded by Americans.
(John As a Teacher)
(Talladega, Alabama 1909-1921)
John's first teaching job was at a school for Black Deaf children.
(Alabama School for Negro Deaf-Mutes and Blind)
(John McCandless' Talladega registration card)
(John McCandless' Gallaudet registration card)
(Jackson Mississipp (1921-1957))
John spent many years in Mississippi.
(Mississippi School for Deaf Children since 1854)
John was a Protestant, a Baptist by faith.
(Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf)
(In the 1930s John was a preacher)
John was an ardent Church volunteer with a ministry with Deaf people where he helped discuss Protestant theology.
(In the 1940s he was a part time Baptist missionary)
He carried on volunteering for many years.
(After a long and productive life, John McCandless died in South Carolina in March 1965)
(South Carolina on US map)
(John McCandless - 16 March 1884 - 12 March 1965)