Nella Braddy (1894–1973)

Nella Braddy Henney was born in Leslie, Georgia. She attended Wesleyan College in Macon, GA and then Converse College in Spartanburg, earning a bachelors degree in 1915. She attended Columbia University in New York for graduate school. In 1926, she married Keith Henney.

From 1919 until 1938, Nella worked at Doubleday as an editor of books, encyclopedias, and anthologies. She was assigned to work with Helen Keller in 1923 when Frank Nelson Doubleday, the founder and publisher, encouraged Miss Keller to update her book The Story of My Life. Nella quickly learned the manual alphabet so that she could speak directly to her author. The two became close friends, and Nella wrote the first published biography of Miss Sullivan's teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy, which appeared in 1933. The Henneys owned a summer house on Foss Mountain in Eaton, New Hampshire and often hosted Sullivan, Keller and her companion Polly Thomson.
Nella also frequently visited Arcan Ridge, Miss Keller’s home in Connecticut. Keller and Thomson often traveled to New York City so the group could meet for lunch or dinner.

In the late 1950s, Nella introduced Keller and Thomson to William Gibson, who was developing The Miracle Worker as a telefilm script based on Nella’s biography of Anne Sullivan. Nella also served as Miss Keller’s power of attorney and as her agent in literary matters before their relationship ended in 1963.