Agatha Tiegel Hanson: Our Places in the Sun by Katherine Jankowski

Abstract

Reviewed by: Agatha Tiegel Hanson: Our Places in the Sun by Katherine Jankowski Arlene B. Kelly (bio) Jankowski, Katherine. 2020. Agatha Tiegel Hanson: Our Places in the Sun. KLGoss. (438 pages. $29.09–$32.41, paperback, ISBN 978-1734953-63-3; ebook, ISBN 978-1734953-61-9). In 2007, I wrote an essay lamenting that when looking though my personal library, I found so few books written by culturally Deaf women (Kelly 2007, 259). Most books about Deaf lives were/ are written by white hearing men. Needless to say, this biographical sketch of a famed Deaf woman compiled and penned by an equally brilliant and culturally Deaf female writer is definitely a delightful addition to my personal bookshelves. This is further treasured knowing that it took several years for Jankowski to complete the book, a testament of her commitment to spotlight sexism, audism, and racism within the Deaf community at the turn of the century and beyond. This biography is very detailed in presenting the life of Agatha Tiegel Hanson (September 14, 1873–October 17, 1959) from her birth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, through her life in Washington, DC, Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon, and to her death in Portland, Oregon. Agatha, as the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree from the National Deaf Mute College,1 deserves to be highlighted in a single 438-page entity, along with her architect husband Olof Hanson (September 10, 1862–September 8, 1933) and their three daughters Marion, Alice, and Helen. A natural-born teacher, Agatha was an advocate of using sign language in the instruction of Deaf children, a pressing issue of the time as well as today. As a seasoned rhetoric author (Jankowski 1997), Jankowski painstakingly took care in being meticulous in her execution. An estimated 90 to 95 percent of the text emerged from archival findings at the [End Page 492] Gallaudet University Archives and the Seattle Public Library. Articles either by or about Agatha were engendered from various publications such as The Buff and Blue,2 Deaf-Mutes' Journal, Silent Worker, and Gallaudet Alumni Bulletin, to name a few. Excerpts from Pittsburgh and Seattle newspapers where Agatha resided were also provided in the text. More endearing were letters from or to Agatha found in the Gallaudet University Archives' well-preserved collections of papers by Agatha Tiegel Hanson, Olof Hanson, and President Edward Miner Gallaudet. These correspondences afford a deeper insight into her persona. To further supplement the biographical sketch were email correspondences and video relay calls between Jankowski and Agatha's descendants. These communiques were extraordinary in that they breathed life into Agatha. Black-and-white photographs from the family are also included in the book, giving greater insight into Agatha's life. The centerpiece of this book is Agatha's 1893 prerequisite graduation speech,3 "The Intellect of Woman," emphasizing educational and political equity for women. The audience was mostly men, many of whom were Senators, and such who supported the funding of the National Deaf Mute College. Agatha was beyond courageous to have presented this speech, especially when coeducation was just beginning in America. Equally important and helpful was having the historical context that had an impact on Agatha's family. The biggest takeaway from this reading was how the family survived World War I. The spouses lived apart for two years during the war. Employment in Seattle was lacking at this time, so while Agatha and their daughters lived in Seattle, Olof worked in Nebraska and later in Minnesota, sending money home in various amounts. As luck would have it, Olof returned home to his family on the day before Armistice Day.4 Agatha and Olof had a fun side. Because they had a sense of community, they often hosted big parties at their home to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and visiting friends in town. A fun takeaway was that Agatha loved to serve ice cream and cake, which was always at these parties. This happens to be a favorite of this reviewer as well. As a fan of footnotes, I found the endnotes at the back of the book to be rather awkward. While this is a personal preference, I also [End Page 493] acknowledge...