2003.98.2

Prototype of a braille writer with Masonite base

Maxey, George, 1897-1977

Writer attached by 4 screws to rectangular Masonite base; bottom and sides enclosed in aluminum case, top is open; paper roller and bale covered with black rubber; the roller knob is broken off; six aluminum braille keys and ivory-colored space key; stylus with a black plastic handle rests in a hole at the top front right of the machine; "Maxey" appears in braille on the left and right sides of case.

H-5 W-12 D-7.75 inches

ca. 1930s

George Maxey, a design engineer, designed prototypes of braille writers as a personal endeavor to help his blind friends. The museum has 3 of his prototypes. See also accessions 2003.98.1 and 2003.98.3. Item was given by his daughter. George Maxey was born in Burr Oak, IN in 1897 and died in Seattle in 1977. Maxey received a degree in chemical engineering from Wabash College in Crawfordville, IN, in 1919. He was a veteran of both world wars and worked as an engineer for Webster Brinkley in Seattle and as a design engineer/precision machinist in the Aeronautical Department of the University of Washington.