As June Frazier speaks of Dr. Martin Palmer, the founder of Heartspring, her eyes light up and her hands are animated. Heartspring staff was fortunate to have her recently visit and share her story as a child of the Depression-era who had the misfortune of not being able to produce understandable speech.

The third of seven children, June was born in 1921 to loving parents from southeast Kansas. The only child in her family with speech difficulties, June faced embarrassment, isolation and caused her parents much worry.

“My mother was the only one who could make out what I was saying. She told me later that I was the only child she had who she cried over when I went to school,” June said. “All the kids made fun of me. I was so self-conscience and that lasted nearly all my life. Back then, in the early 30s, children were ignored and if you had a problem, there was no way to get out of it.”

In the fourth grade, when June was unexpectedly called to the principal’s office, her life began to change.

“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong but I cried all the way home because I had a note from the principal. They had a letter asking if I could be examined by a man from Wichita,” June said. In the letter, the school asked for permission for June to be evaluated by Dr. Palmer from the Institute of Logopedics, what is today Heartspring.

He had expertise in helping children with various difficulties. June’s parents quickly gave Dr. Palmer their permission for him to assess her.

“Dr. Palmer had a theory that he could teach any of us to talk if we had a vocal cord. Back in those days there was no speech therapist. If you couldn’t talk, you couldn’t talk…and that was just the way it was. You just accepted it and went on. But he cared about us,” she said.

That help took the form of time spent with a volunteer tutor from June’s school who was trained by Dr. Palmer. June’s mother also worked tirelessly to practice the exercises at home. For three years working under Dr. Palmer’s direction, June practiced to perfect her speech.

“I can only remember one exercise that I had to do and that was to say, touch the tongue to the teeth to get the t. It’s the only one I can remember,” recalls June.

By the time June entered high school, she was able to put much of the affects of her speech difficulties behind her. She graduated from Arkansas City High School and soon married and relocated to California. There, she and her husband raised three children. When asked of Dr. Palmer’s influence, Mrs. Frazier is very clear in praising him.

“I was just so grateful. Dr. Palmer has always been an idol in our home. To think that a man would be interested in children who couldn’t talk—that was just absolutely unbelievable. I don’t think that I ever would have developed a speech pattern where anybody could understand me. I think I would have went through life very frustrated and angry. I think that God sent Dr. Palmer into my life for a reason and I know that was God’s plan for me,” she said.