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REMARKS OF FARRIS BRYANT, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PLANNING
BEFORE THE FLORIDA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND THE BLIND,
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, MAY 27, 1966 (Building dedication)
It is a pleasure and a privilege to return home for the
dedication of these buildings for the Florida School for the
Deaf and the Blind -- the culmination of many long, hard
months of planning and effort.
To see this magnificent structure where grace of line and
purpose are so happily joined in a functional building -- one
which accommodates the most advanced facilities for housing
those who suffer afflictions of major magnitude is heartening
indeed. To have this structure bear my name is one of those
humbling and heartwarming experiences which comes to a man so
infrequently in a lifetime.
I hope it does not detract -- as it must not -- from the
recognition which belongs to so many men and women who put their
hearts and minds and souls into this memorable project.
It was Thomas Carlyle who said "Every Noble work is at first
impossible." And it was the men and women who saw beyond the
delays and pitfalls, the distractions and paperwork -- those who
persevered in the face of obstacles -- who made this project a
success. I stand only as a symbol of their constant encouragement
and support. If I was able to galvanize this drive, it is only
because those who envisioned this project never wavered, never
flagged, never gave up.
In this regard, we must all remember this is no monument in
the strict sense of the word. It is a living testimonial to
man's striving to help his fellow man. It recognizes that the
deaf and the blind among us are handicapped in that area where
men and women are so disadvantaged in this modern world -- the
simple art of communication. You will note that I said our fellow
citizens are handicapped; I did not call them 9555 handicapped,"
a phrase which connotes a certain inevitability which places them
forever at a disadvantage.
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The distinction is subtle but important. The young people
who will attend this school are currently handicapped, not
permanently so. They suffer a disadvantage which Egg be over
come with proper teaching methods and facilities. They can,
in fact, become not only useful, productive citizens in this
great and growing land of ours, but they can compete effectively
and on equal terms with those more fortunate than themselves.
That is the most inspiring and hopeful aspect of this
enterprise. I do not suggest these two important senses of
which the students at this school have been deprived can be
discounted as minor afflictions -- they are major, but with
the proper training they can be minimized and ways can be found
to open up that part of the world around us which has been
closed to these young people. It was Helen Keller who said:
"No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious
discourse of my book-friends. They talk to me without embarrass-
ment or awkwardness."
But literature and the wonders of the written word are only
one area of the great work that takes place in this school. It
is life that is learned -- life in all its facets, its surprises,
its satisfactions, its ways of success.
And all this can be wrapped up in one word -- "communication."
Since I left for Washington, I have become particularly sensitive
to that simple word. Part of the responsibility of the office of
Emergency Planning is to devise and maintain plans to cope with
crises -- crises ranging from the recurrent difficulties and dangers
of cold war, to the challenges to freedom in Viet Nam and, finally,
to the ultimate peril of nuclear war. Through all this work, one
element is uppermost -- the need to communicate among governments
and between governments and people. It is not my intention today
to dwell upon the details of this work. It is sufficient for me
to say that, as a statutory member of the National Secnrity
Council, I have been exposed to countless discussions and deliber-
ations in which the need for communication was a decisive factor
in developing a decision.
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The people of St. Augustine and of Florida can be proud of
this school. Its graduates will, I believe, comprise an
affirmation of man's successful struggle against the most
debilitating handicaps. This school will always be close to
my heart. I am honored you have elected to have my name
associated with it. But most of all, I am pleased that it
is here; that it has, and will continue to, perform small
miracles for our children.
The people of Florida are richer for it. America is
stronger for it. And the students who pass through these
portals shall be better equipped not merely to "cope with
problems" which is too negative for me, but to conquer them
and thus lead happier, more productive lives -- which is, after
all, the fundamental quest of individuals in our democratic
society.
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