Helen Keller –  an American author, political activist, and lecturer – was born on this day June 17, 1880. Her relationship with Annie Sullivan – who was sent to live at the Tewksbury Almshouse (now Hospital) after her mother died – is memorialized with a Mico Kaufman sculpture located next to the Tewksbury Town Hall. The sculpture captures the moment Anne Sullivan successfully teaches Helen Keller her first word – water. The work was dedicated on June 28, 1992. Sullivan was Helen Keller’s teacher, governess and then eventual companion of nearly 50 years.