(Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the Durham, NC newspaper, “The Herald Sun,” as this issue of “The Braille Forum” went to press. The ACB Board of Publications presented an Exceptional Achievement Award to Marie Boring at the 2001 national convention in Des Moines. Without her courageous leadership and her creativity and zeal for telling the truth as the first editor of “The Braille Forum,” ACB might not be the organization of which we are so proud today.)
Mrs. Marie M. Boring, 85, died peacefully in her sleep Thursday morning (October 11) at the Treyburn Rehabilitation Center.
Marie was a graduate of the School for the Blind in Raleigh, (Governor Morehead School) and Guilford College in Greensboro, majoring in English. This was a remarkable achievement, for Marie was totally blind. She retired from Duke University Medical Center as a medical transcriptionist. Marie was a strong advocate for blind people’s rights, serving as president of the North Carolina Federation of the Blind in the ‘50s and on the board of directors for the National Federation of the Blind from 1956 through 1959. She was instrumental in the forming of the American Council of the Blind in 1961, where she was elected to the first board of directors and served on the first constitution and bylaws committee. She was elected to serve as the first editor and was instrumental in the naming of “The Braille Forum,” a national publication for blind people. She was truly a remarkable woman fighting for blind people’s rights and will surely be missed by all.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Red Cross in support of the recent tragedies, the American Council of the Blind, or a charity of your choice.