Hawkins Bolden and his identical twin brother, Monroe, were born in the Bailey's Bottom section of Memphis, Tennessee, to parents of Creole and American Indian descent. At age eight, he lost his eyesight as a result of a blow to the head while playing baseball with his brother; however, blindness did not squelch his creativity; he made kites, tom-walkers (leg stilts), skate trucks—toys for his nieces and nephews—even a radio, from a wire, crystal and a coathanger. (1)

Bolden lived in the same house his entire life, a small urban home squeezed between a car wash and a privacy wall. His garden was his pride and joy and he loved gardening.

One day his nephew told him he could scare away the birds if he made eyes in a bucket with...