by Toni Eames
While attending the ACB convention in Philadelphia in 1984, I ran into a friend who told me about Ed Eames, a newly blind professor researching guide dog schools. Apparently, he was unaware that not all guide dogs were trained at schools. My dogs Flicka and Ivy had been trained privately. My convention friend Cindy told me I would be doing a disservice to guide dogs if I didn’t educate Ed about dogs not trained by schools.
Guide dogs were my hobby, and I was familiar with most of the CEOs at that time. Not wanting to do a disservice to guide dog owners, I reluctantly contacted Ed.
Ed was a professor of anthropology at Baruch College in New York City, and I was a rehab counselor at a Long Island psychiatric center. Traveling to Manhattan to attend my uncle’s memorial service, I reluctantly agreed to meet Ed. What an incredible meeting it turned out to be! Ed treated me to Chinese food and took me home in a taxi. The attraction was overwhelming, and the conversation was unending!
Since my knowledge base was far superior to Ed’s, he invited me to co-author his book, “A Guide to Guide Dog Schools” (available on BARD). I was partnered with my first guide dog in 1967, and Ed, newly blind, was very new to the guide dog lifestyle. While Ed and I discussed issues for the book, our dogs Perrier and Ivy romped and played.
Our friendship grew into a romance, and we moved into my Queens apartment several months after we met. Traveling together, we attended conferences in Israel, Canada, Japan and England. In June 1987, we were married at the home of our veterinarian. Several months after the wedding, Ed retired and I left my job for our move to Fresno, California. We traded big city life with great transportation for a quiet suburban lifestyle. I delighted in a less stressful way of life, while Ed felt he was not using the hard-earned blindness skills he most recently acquired.
The most fun for me as a professor’s wife was teaching a sociology course in disability awareness. Ed, who was so reluctant to retire, involved us in so many projects that he turned down the offer of additional courses.
Our lives were magical, as we traveled, lectured and wrote articles for dog, veterinary and medical journals. Our second book, “Partners in Independence” (available on BARD), was another bonding time for us. We began working with people of differing disabilities working with service dogs.
Sadly, in 2009, I lost Ed to a massive stroke. The ACB convention was meeting in Fresno, and folks were surprised I attended. However, I attended in memory of my beloved Ed, and to thank ACB for bringing us together!