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| 1950s era Christmas tree |
The following is a series of 3 'Letters to the Editor' and one related news story that were printed in the Courier Post around Christmas in 1951 regarding a family from Evesham.
12/15/1951
To The Editor:
I am pouring the contents of my heart out to your readers for a little 5-year-old boy who is going blind and by next Christmas will be blind. His mother's eyesight also is poor. I wonder if there aren't some boys and girls who are reached by your paper who are willing to share one of their gifts with this little boy - cards, toys, clothing (size 8, big boy) or Christmas bulbs for his tree, to keep his faith in God and remember the last Christmas he will ever be able to see. His name is David Capen, Kettle Run Road, Marlton.
Mrs John S. Wilkins, Marlton Pike, Marlton
12/20/1951
NEIGHBORS PLAN GIFTS FOR BOYS LOSING SIGHT
Townspeople are planning a brighter Christmas for two boys, one five and the other three years of age, who are losing their sight. Both are suffering from glaucoma.
The boys, sons of Mr. and Mrs. David Capen, are David, the elder, and Daniel. They live with their parents in a three-room frame dwelling a quarter mile from Kettle Run Road at Ewans Mill [sic?], near Marlton.
Mrs Charles Bakley, home service chairman of American Legion post 307 at Lake Pine, the Marlton branch of the Red Cross and the Marlton PTA said residents are planning gifts for the boys.
Mrs Bakley said that the Capens are not destitute but owe substantial bills to hospitals for operations on the boys, and are paying these off weekly.
12/21/1951
To The Editor:
In Saturday's paper you printed a letter from a Mrs Wilkins in Marlton about a little boy named David who is going blind. I know this little boy, too, and would like to add a few words in his behalf.
When this little boy walks along the street he cannot see the gaily decorated windows of Santa Clauses, snowmen and candy canes, for he can see but about eight inches very clearly. He knows the story of the baby Jesus and the wise men from his mother and from Sunday School. If you do not hold his hand and guide him, he walks into other children and adults who glare at him, not knowing. He also has a small mischievous brother whose eyes are also bad. They have glaucoma.
David loves cars and records and talks constantly about the different cars he is going to have and drive when he gets big. He will never drive any car except the small play cars belonging to other children. He is 5 years old and knows nothing of "Hoppy" because he cannot see television. He has an old record player and if someone has a good one and some records I know they would make a swell little fellow very happy. He will not be able to see by next year and we are all trying to help David have the merriest Christmas of his life. I hope some of your readers will help too, with cards and letters. His address is David Capen, Kettle Run Road, Marlton. Thanks a lot
Mrs C. N. Sperbeck
100 Potter Street
Haddonfield
1/10/1952
Boy Made Happy
To The Editor:
I would like to express my thanks to Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Sperbeck for their letters in the Mail Bag telling the plight of my son David, who is going blind. My thanks to you, the editors, for printing the letters.
David received almost a hundred Christmas cards, some toys, records, and other things. To all the kind people who sent things to him, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. The only thing he missed on Christmas was a "big yellow tractor" Santa was supposed to bring him. He even sent his dad outside to look around for it. We feel his disappointment was quite a bit relieved when he found a brand new station wagon under his grandmother's tree with a tag marked "David" which his aunt and uncle had given him.
He is a happy little fellow and doesn't realize the dark future, but it is heartbreaking to see him run his little finger over things when he "looks" at them.
Thanks again to all you wonderful people.
Mrs David Capen
Clearfield Avenue, Atco
Note: Clearview Avenue is in Evesham, but mail was received from the Atco Post office back then.
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I was originally planning to end this post here. I saw this as a nice story of a town coming together to help a couple of boys at Christmas - it certainly didn't need any additional words from me. But in researching, I found some additional information that I wanted to share as I found it inspiring.
Both boys did indeed go blind. At the time, New Jersey was one of the few states that integrated blind students into general education. In most other states, they would have lived at a School for the Blind. According to John Mandello from the NJ Commission for the Blind, while attending a school like that has certain advantages, such as a gym class tailored to the visually impaired, many students find adjustment difficult after school ends. So NJ keeps them with their peers.
David attended Evans School, where he was accompanied by his constant companion, fellow student Benjamin Stow. Benjamin helped David in the classroom, and David taught Benjamin braille during lunch hours. In the picture below, they were both in the 8th Grade at Evans, where their teacher was none other than Helen Beeler.
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| David Capen and friend Benjamin Stow |
Danny attended the Marlton School, where students took turns helping him in the classroom and guiding him to lunch. Both boys had a Braille writer, and would use that or a slate and stylus (a machine that punches tiny holes in paper.)
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| Danny Capen and his teacher Miss Berger, Age 11 |
Both boys graduated from the Evesham School District and attended Lenape High School (this was prior to Cherokee being built). David took up the trumpet and joined the marching band. His music teacher would tell him the notes to play, and David would memorize them.
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| Senior David Capen in the Marching Band |
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| David Capen surrounded by 'squaws' |
David graduated Lenape in 1964, and his brother Danny entered the school a few months later. During their time in high school, they took notes with a gadget that punched Braille type. They would be given their lessons in Braille or on tape, and both memorized the school layout so they could get to their classes and the lunch room without assistance.
The boys had a much younger sister April, who had the same disease as the boys. However, since she was born nearly a decade later, medical science had advanced enough that her sight was saved.
That is as far as the public record goes on the Capen boys. I reached out via Facebook to see if anyone had additional details, and while I found a few classmates of the Capens that are still local, I did not come up with any additional information, other than the fact that both boys were well-liked.
A lot has changed in town in the almost 70 years since these "Letters To The Editor" were published. We no longer send our children to Evans or the Marlton School, and our high school students now go to Cherokee instead of Lenape. And some of our children go to a school named after David's teacher, Helen Beeler. And most children are no longer asking for records.
Though the notion of "Letters to the Editor" sounds quaint and a bit outdated to me, I'd like to think that the spirit of giving lives on in Evesham. Whether supporting our troops, helping feed our hungry, providing gifts to less fortunate children (and pets), or helping raise money to fight diseases, we have plenty of organizations that many of us contribute to. And the response online when a local family loses their home to fire (or similar tragedy) is truly heartening. There are countless ways for all of us to contribute either our time or money to help those in need, and it is always inspiring to see the town come together on those occasions, just like we did back in 1951.
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