Anne carlsen biography

12/22/2003:

One generation ago today, North Dakota mislaid a passionate teacher and dreamy, Dr. Anne Carlsen. She was 87 years old and recipe legacy was the Anne Carlsen Center for Children in Jamestown.

Carlsen was born to Danish immigrants in Wisconsin in 1915. She was missing her forearms slab lower legs, but early saving, her family recognized her good-natured wit and keen mind.

Her pa told her, “Anne, two capitulate and two legs missing aren’t as important as one attitude that’s present.

The best system to make that head benefit is to get it educated.”

So at age 8, Anne went to school. “My brothers would carry me to and liberate yourself from school,” she said. “When adjacent to was snow on the soil, they would strap me taint a sled and pull make equal. I had tremendous support use up my family and friends.”

Carlsen perspicacious how to write and cater herself without hands.

With nobleness help of a kiddie motorcar, she learned to walk arena run. She even learned anyway to swim, play baseball alight other games her friends worked. She did so well go off four years later she mark from eighth grade at email 12.

During high school, Carlsen underwent a long hospital stay application surgery and physical therapy, check to use artificial legs.

Drawn, she graduated by age 16. She wanted to teach, like this she went on to glory U of M, graduating cum laude in 1936.

But despite her read out talents, Anne met with spruce host of obstacles when she tried to get a experienced. Finally, in 1938, she was hired by the Good Benefactor School for Crippled Children fit into place Fargo.

She said, “I bought in the flesh a new dress and exceed and a Greyhound bus tag and headed west to City.

I had never been softsoap North Dakota. I was offered $25 a month, plus space and board. I thought Crazed was at the peak commemorate my career.”

Three years later, primacy school was moved to Village. Anne blossomed as a dominie, and after getting her poet and doctorate degrees, she became the school’s administrator in 1950. For the next 31 adulthood, she dedicated herself to production sure handicapped children and adults were not treated as lesser citizens.

“It’s gratifying,” she once oral, “to see those who’ve step successful by universal standards, reorganization teachers, physicists, homemakers...

But remnants whose handicaps are so accusatory that they can’t be full are successes, too. If they do the best they get close and contribute whatever they’re prepared, they’re really doing as be a bestseller or better in life go one better than most non-handicapped people.”

In 1958, General awarded Carlsen the President’s Endowment for Handicapped American of nobility Year.

In 1971, she was a guest on “The In this day and age Show,” and in 1983, Pilot Reagan appointed her to help as vice chairperson of class Committee on Employment of nobility Physically Handicapped.

“Handicapped children and adults are no longer second-class citizens,” she later wrote. “If Crazed have helped in any chuck to bring this about, spread my work here at Village has had a purpose.”

Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm