Louise Treadwell

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Louise Ten Broeck Treadwell (born July 31, 1896 in New Castle , Lawrence County , Pennsylvania , † November 13, 1983 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American stage actress. She gained fame through her marriage to Spencer Tracy and as the founder of the John Tracy Clinic , a pioneering international training facility for families with deaf children.

Life and work

Louise Treadwell was the daughter of Bright (Smith) Treadwell and Alliene Treadwell, b. Wetmore. The mother was a prominent lawyer and a partner in the local New Castle (PA) Daily News . The parents' marriage ended in divorce when Louise Treadwell was a teenager.

1915 Treadwell began studying at Lake Erie College in Painesville ( Ohio ), where she graduated with distinction later. She then began to work as an actress at various repertoire stages. She was in great demand because of her beauty; Treadwell was never considered exceptionally talented. In March 1923 she went to the Leonard Wood Players in White Plains ( New York ) as Leading Lady , where she met Spencer Tracy, who was at the very beginning of his stage career. The couple married on September 12, 1923 in Cincinnati .

Their first child, John, was born on June 26, 1924. Treadwell was living with her in-laws at the time, as Tracy toured frequently with the changing ensembles he worked with. Ten months after the birth of the son, she discovered that the child was deaf - a fate that at that time usually meant that those affected did not learn to communicate and that they were disadvantaged for life. Determined to enable her son to lead a “normal” life despite his disability, Louise Treadwell began to educate herself to eventually teach John lip reading and speaking. Your efforts have been successful; In 1927 John said the word mom out loud for the first time , and from June 1927 he attended Wright Oral School in New York, a school for the hearing impaired that enrolled John Tracy for the first time in its history, a three-year-old.

In the summer of 1930, John Tracy contracted poliomyelitis (polio). In late November 1930 the family moved to Hollywood , where Tracy now worked for Fox Film . On July 1, 1932 a daughter Louise was born, who was called "Susie" to distinguish her from her mother of the same name. In 1936 the Tracys moved into a ranch in Encino, near Los Angeles, where Tracy and Treadwell, who both played polo , kept their horses and many other animals.

The Tracy's marriage had to face many challenges. An affair between Spencer Tracy and actress Loretta Young in 1933 led to a year-long separation of the couple. From 1942 until his death in 1967, Tracy was in a partnership with Katharine Hepburn , about which the press remained silent until 1962. Although Tracy had not lived with Treadwell since 1942, they remained in a close relationship and continued to appear formally as a married couple.

At a National Workshop of Social Workers and Teachers and Parents of the Hard of Hearing event held at the University of Southern California in July 1942 , Treadwell first spoke publicly about her commitment to the deaf. Further appearances followed. Plans to create a training facility for families with deaf children resulted in the establishment of the John Tracy Clinic in September 1942, initially housed in a small building on the edge of the University of Southern California campus and moving to a new building in 1952.

Treadwell, who placed great emphasis on parental involvement in the advancement of hearing impaired children, personally trained future teachers at the facility. Spencer Tracy supported the clinic in part with his own funds, and in part he used his celebrities to raise funds. The John Tracy Clinic thus became the most popular donation address for the wealthy in Hollywood, which enabled the facility to offer all services free of charge to the families concerned.

For health reasons, Treadwell withdrew from the management of the clinic in October 1974. After a long illness, she died in 1983 at the age of 87. She is buried with Spencer Tracy in the Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale near Los Angeles.

Awards

  • 1951: Hearing Advancement Award given by the Hearing Foundation
  • 1953: Testimonial of Merit / Woman of the Year Award , presented by the non-profit organization La Sertoma International
  • 1955: Save the Children Foundation Prize
  • 1974: Award of Honor Otolaryngology
  • 1975: Father Flanagan Award for Service to Youth
  • 1977: Humanitarian Award , given by the veterans organization AMVETS

Louise Treadwell has also received honorary degrees from Northwestern University , the University of Southern California, Lake Erie College, MacMurray College , Gallaudet College , Whitworth College, and Ripon College .

In 1956 Treadwell was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Vocational Rehabilitation for four years . In 1963 he was appointed to the Neurological and Sensory Disease Advisory Committee of HEW , in 1965 to the National Advisory Board of the National technical Institute for the Deaf , and in 1969 to the President's Task Force on the Physically Handicapped .

Stage appearances (selection)

literature

Publication by Louise Treadwell:

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Treadwell, Louise
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Louise Tracy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American stage actress, founder of an aid organization
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH New Castle , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH November 13, 1983
Place of death Los Angeles , California