The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1957-07-27
WILLIE COFFEE
APPRENTICE
MASSEUR
BY DOROTHY /. SANFORD

Have you wondered what be-
came of Willie ". Coffee, blind
concessionaire at Station "B"? He
is an apprentice masseur studying
under Mrs. Susan Harris, direc-
tor of the Reactivitation Center.
last week, we spent a study
period with him listening to a
tape recorded lesson on the CEN
trail nervous system! One Of the
recordings, one of several, belong
ed to Jack Ray, FORMER "Freckles"
OF the Our Gang Comedy series;
the other was one of group re-
corded by Mrs. Harris. The re-
cordings are baeed on textbooks
used in the Lindsay Hopkins Vo-
cational Schools seven-months
course in massage and physical
theraphy.
Willie ". Coffee, soft-spoken,
slender, brown-skinned native Of
Rhine, Ca, has lived in Florida
for IS years, ever since he was
three years old. Until 1852, Jack
sonville was home. It was there
in 1850, that an examination to
check possible eye injuries show
ed that he had glaucome, the same
disease that blinded 'sFreckles."
At that time, Coffee has been an
employee Of the Naval Air Sta
ton for eight years.
In 1852, the Coffee family,
which included his wife, Evelyn,
a pretty widow, whom he h a d
married in 1851; two stepsons,
Marvin and Samuel Austin, and a
baby son, Clarence Bernard, NOV
ed to Miami. The local branch of
the Florida Council for the blind,
after studying his abilities and
background, arranged in 1854 for
his training to manage a stand.
After three months at the
Tampa Training Center, he re-
turned to take over the Station
B spot. The test period was sue
cessful but the returns were not
sufficient for the growing Coffee
family which now included q
daughter, Spring Revella.
One day, a regular customer of
his stand remarked that during
his Army days in Japan he had
seen and used the services of sew
eral blind masseurs. Coffee be-
gam to work on that idea. After
receiving encouragement r m
Lois Hill, worker with the Child
ren's Service Bureau, he approch-
ed Buell. Dodrill, vocational coun-
sellor, South Florida Area of the
Florida Council for Blind, who had
arranged for Coffee's previous
training.
Coffee knew that there was
more to the idea than his desiring
training. The Council, a rehabili-
tation agency, had to check to see
IL the field of massage and ply
steal theraphy was one in which
the blind were successful; to
check the mental, emotional and
social abilities Of the prospective
apprentice; to find approved train
ing facilities for Coffee who was
not only a man but a Negro man!
The last problem seemed to
present the obstacle. Coffee, how
ever, contacted Mrs. Susan Har-
ris about that phase.
Mrs. Harris, RN., well-trained
and experienced, had received a
waiver to allow her TO have an
apprentice after being licensed
only six months. That apprentice,
Mrs. Bertha Hamilton Perry,
brought honor to the community,
+, the Reactivation Health Center,
and to the teaching ability of Mrs.
Harris by making the highest
grade Of the 80 applicants for L.
cense in massage at the March 10
examination.
The other 81 were trained in
approved schools of massage. With
this Recommendation, another
waiver was granted to allow her
to train a male apprentice and
Coffee began his apprenticeship
onsMay %. Mrs. Harris feels that
this training offers special chal-,
lenge. She Is particularly pleas
ed with Coffee,s concentration and
his ability to grasp subject mat
ter IS shown through reviews,
quizzes and the practical appli-
,eati0r, NJ the knnulndre gainedl