Louise Treadwell
| Louise Tracy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Louise Ten Broeck Treadwell July 31, 1897 New Castle, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1983 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Lake Erie College |
| Spouse(s) | Spencer Tracy (m. 1923; d. 1967) |
| Children | 2 |
Louise Tracy (born Louise Ten Broeck Treadwell; July 31, 1897 – November 13, 1983) was the founder of the John Tracy Clinic, a private, non-profit education center for the deaf that began in 1942. She was married to the Academy Award-winning actor Spencer Tracy.
Louise Ten Broeck Treadwell's parents were Alliene Wetmore and Bright (Smith) Treadwell. Alliene Treadwell was a prominent attorney and part owner of the New Castle Daily News in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Louise's parents divorced when she was a teenager.
In 1915, Louise Treadwell enrolled at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, and graduated with honors. During the next several years, she pursued an acting career as a stage actor, primarily in stock companies. In early March 1923, Louise joined the Leonard Wood Players in White Plains, New York, which engaged her as the leading lady. There she met actor Spencer Tracy, who had also joined the company. On September 12, 1923, Louise and Spencer were married in Cincinnati, Ohio.
On June 26, 1924, Louise and Spencer's first child, John, was born. Ten months later, Louise discovered that John was hearing impaired. Early in 1926 Louise met a deaf woman at a contract bridge party who could lip read very well, encouraging Louise that John might have a normal life in spite of his deafness. She took John to a hearing specialist, who confirmed a diagnosis of nerve deafness. The doctor told Louise that even though there was no medical treatment, John could still learn how to talk, lip read, and do anything a hearing person could do.
With new hope, Louise began working with John, using material from different schools. In 1927, John spoke the word "Mama" for the first time. In June 1927, John was enrolled in the Wright Oral School for the deaf in New York City. At three years of age, he was the youngest child they had ever accepted.
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