Joseph P. Ebacher

Joseph P. Ebacher, born June 12, 1921,in Acushnet, Massachusetts, and died December 15, 1974 in Jacobs Prairie, Minnesota. Childhood spent in Amsbury, MA, son of French-Canadian immigrants, in a family including sisters; Theresa, Annette (died in childhood), Margaret, and Beatrice, and brothers; Lucien(Nick), Roger, and Raymond. At the age of 12 attended and graduated from the minor seminary of La Sallete in Enfield, NH. There he studied in French, English, Latin and Greek. Ebacher joined the Navy in World War II and was assigned to LSTs in Hawaii. At the conclusion of World War II he returned to civilian life, enrolled in Boston College, and there met Gloria Monahan. They were married shortly thereafter. He graduated with a masters degree in Sociology, but went to work teaching French at Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Newton, MA. In 1957 he moved his family of 6 children to Cincinnati, OH, accepting a position of Associate Professor of French at Xavier University. There he was awarded Teacher of the Year. Later, in 1969 he moved his family, then of 9 children, to the St. Cloud area in Minnesota, where he accepted a position at St. Johns University. There he taught and raised his family in Minnesota until his untimely death from a massive coronary from years of cigarettes and shoveling snow at the age of 53.

Ebacher invented Ebacher Method, which was published by Prentice Hall. This method is used to learn a foreign language, based on behavioral principles of Skinner. "The format consists of a foreign language text, an interlinear vocabulary, and a plastic grid, which is placed over the page to conceal the vocabulary. when the student needs to, he can slide the grid down, note the English equivalent of the work, raise the grid, and continue reading." This method allows the student to quickly get the translation of the word in question, while keeping it within the context of the original sentence and meaning. Vocabulary words are repeated ten times, and then the student is expected to know the word and no further translation is printed. One learns while reading rather than having to interrupt the reading in order to learn the word.

Partial list of published works edited by Joseph P. Ebacher, and utilizing the Ebacher Method

Prentice-Hall programmed reading French series.by Joseph P Ebacher; Prentice-Hall, inc.Language: English Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall [196 2. La Reussiteby Gérard Delmain; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: English Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1960. 3. Carmen.by Prosper Mérimée; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: English Type: Book : Fiction Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall [1965] 4. Journal de Salavinby Georges Duhamel; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1967. 5. Les idées de Madame Aubray : Alexandre Dumas, filsby Joseph P EbacherLanguage: English Type: Book Publisher: Englecliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, ©1965. 6. La reussite.by Gérard Delmain; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall [1966] 7. Courrier sudby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1966. 8. Les Oberlé : Ebacher methodby René Bazin; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Cambridge : Educators Pub. Service, [©1961] 9. Les idees de madame Aubrayby Alexandre Dumas; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1965. 10. Le chien du capitaineby Louis Enault; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Cambridge : Educator's Pub. Service, [©1962] La belle-Nivernaise : Ebacher methodby Alphonse Daudet; Joseph P EbacherLanguage: French Type: Book Publisher: Cambridge : Educator's Pub. Service, ©1961. 12. Les Oberlé. Rapid reading French, book 5; Ebacher method,by René BazinLanguage: English Type: Book Publisher: Cambridge, Mass., Educators Pub. Service [©1961]

Other references

In 2001, artist Richard Cecil Schletty used the image of Joseph P. Ebacher in his [http://www.schletty.com/holyspirit/graspedbythespirit1.htm mural project] representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ebacher, a lifelong Roman Catholic, represented the gift of Knowledge.

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*Some other noteworthy people of the name Ebacher:

M. Ebacher, researcher for the province of Quebec, for the Ministry of Tourism, Hunting, and Fishing.

Monsignor Roger Ebacher, born in Amos, Quebec, in 1936, would become a Bishop. He was ordained catholic priest in 1961 and held the position of philosophy professor from 1961 to 1967. In 1990 he was named Archbishop of the metropolitan region of Gatineau-Hull. He is author of numerous philosophical and religious articles in magazines and journals. According to 1993 records, he lives in Hull, Quebec. Among his works are "La philosophie dans la cité technique, essai sur la philosophie bergsonienne des techniques", and a five-volume series about churches of Quebec.

Johann Baptist Ebacher, common ancestor for all north-American Ebachers and many Bakers as well. Came to America to fight in the revolutionary war of independence in the Second Division of Braunschweigers, which reinforced the first division and fought the American rebels along with Hessian and English troops. After the war, elected to stay in Canada - and there founded the family and from which the family name was passed down to all American and Canadian Ebachers. [http://www.braunschweiger-jaeger.de/quebec%20engl.htm]