{"id":2200,"date":"2015-04-30T09:21:53","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T13:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=2200"},"modified":"2024-06-28T14:45:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:45:39","slug":"firemen-blind-man-american-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"Of firemen, a blind man and an American flag"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Illinois<\/a>
Illinois School for the Blind Jacksonville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frank Auburn\u2019s life was a classic American story that included an American flag<\/a> waving from a staff, thanks to friendly firemen.<\/p>\n

In 1911, Auburn graduated from the Illinois State School for the Blind. Along with this peers, he was warned by the school that \u201cthe greatest problem that confronts the blind is\u2026securing employment after their training is completed\u2026.Few avenues in the commercial world are open to those deprived of sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/a>
Frank Auburn in his shop shortly before Flag Day, 1915<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Auburn\u2019s solution was to create his own path to success. He returned to his hometown of Decatur, moved in with his mother and opened a union broom-making shop at 651 East Cerro Gordo. He also took up poetry-writing. Together, his twin interests kept his hands and mind nimble.<\/p>\n

Soon, his customer list included a local iron works, a department store and families. Auburn knew where everything in his shop was, so he could reach what he needed with ease.<\/p>\n

He numbered among his friends members of a nearby fire company who admired Auburn\u2019s talents and perseverance. One fireman said, \u201cThat\u2019s one of the finest boys in this city. I wonder if people with their clear sight realize how much of their own selves they\u2019re wasting. I couldn\u2019t make a broom\u2026if my life depended on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Auburn\u2019s attitude about his handicap, he stated, \u201cThere\u2019s no need of being bitter over something that is beyond all help\u2026.Everyone has his personal troubles and we all must find a way to help ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"On<\/a>
On a flag-bedecked platform, President Taft speaks in Decatur in 1911, the year Frank Auburn graduated. (Library of Congress)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His attitude, his friends and his love for his country came together 100 years ago. Auburn had placed a 25-foot flagpole<\/a> atop his shop and rigged it with a pulley<\/a>. To do so, he had to crawl out on the roof of his store, something that required the assistance of his faithful firemen friends.<\/p>\n

Auburn planned to raise an American flag to mark the June 14 observance of Flag Day. \u201cAlthough he cannot see it,\u201d noted the local newspaper, he \u201cis as proud of the flag as any man in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The broom-maker arranged for a big dedication ceremony, aided again by his firefighting pals. He wanted a 21-gun salute and patriotic speeches.<\/p>\n

Alas, he didn\u2019t plan on a thunderstorm, which postponed the big event. But Auburn\u2019s flag dream came true later on, thanks to his self-confidence \u2013 and the firemen who supported him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Frank Auburn\u2019s life was a classic American story that included an American flag waving from a staff, thanks to friendly firemen. In 1911, Auburn graduated from the Illinois State School for the Blind. Along with this peers, he was warned by the school that \u201cthe greatest problem that confronts the blind is\u2026securing employment after their… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10,276,77,140],"class_list":["post-2200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-american-flag","tag-firemen","tag-flag-day","tag-flagpole"],"yoast_head":"\nOf firemen, a blind man and an American flag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Frank Auburn\u2019s life was a classic American story that included an American flag waving from a staff, thanks to friendly firemen.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Of firemen, a blind man and an American flag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Frank Auburn\u2019s life was a classic American story that included an American flag waving from a staff, thanks to friendly firemen.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-30T13:21:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-28T18:45:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/On-a-flag-bedecked-platform-President-Taft-speaks-in-Decatur-in-1911-the-year-Frank-Auburn-graduated.-Library-of-Congress.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"459\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/\",\"name\":\"Of firemen, a blind man and an American flag\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/On-a-flag-bedecked-platform-President-Taft-speaks-in-Decatur-in-1911-the-year-Frank-Auburn-graduated.-Library-of-Congress.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-30T13:21:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-28T18:45:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a\"},\"description\":\"Frank Auburn\u2019s life was a classic American story that included an American flag waving from a staff, thanks to friendly firemen.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/firemen-blind-man-american-flag\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/On-a-flag-bedecked-platform-President-Taft-speaks-in-Decatur-in-1911-the-year-Frank-Auburn-graduated.-Library-of-Congress.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/On-a-flag-bedecked-platform-President-Taft-speaks-in-Decatur-in-1911-the-year-Frank-Auburn-graduated.-Library-of-Congress.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":459,\"caption\":\"On a flag-bedecked platform, President Taft speaks in Decatur in 1911, the year Frank Auburn graduated. 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