When Helen Keller first arrived at Cedar Beach on Long Island’s East End, she told her neighbor that she could sense everything around her. “How beautiful the water and trees are,” she said. She was ...

Thought of the day by Helen Keller reflects the essence of her life story, a belief that optimism and determination can overcome even the most formidable obstacles.

She overcame blindness and deafness, but insisted that there was nothing miraculous about her achievements. By Special to The New York Times This obituary was originally published on June 2, 1968. It ...