Additional Photos

While preparing this exhibition in 2014, we did not have space to include all the photos Dr. Agboola collected. He had a large number of pictures, spanning some thirty years, and together we chose the best images to represent the story we wanted to tell in the museum. In this online exhibition, we are able to share the full collection. As Dr. Agboola did not have the opportunity to write full captions for these photos, we are including the text he did provide, as written alongside each photo.

The Foster family poses with a large group of children and adults. Behind them, a sign reads Nigerian Youth Camp in very large letters.

Andrew Foster, Berta Foster, and their children at the annual Easter Bible Camp for the Deaf in Ibadan, Nigeria, 1974

A priest stands behind Andrew and Berta Foster who are sitting at a table. Andrew wears a suit and bow tie with a flower in his lapel, and he is signing a book. Berta wears a simple white dress with plain white hat, and she is holding a bouquet of flowers.

Andrew and Berta Foster on their wedding day. Ibadan, Nigeria, 1961

Foster, whose hair is slightly graying, poses with a young man and woman. The woman is holding an infant baby in a frilly dress. Behind the group there is a pickup truck with a fabric cap.

Andrew Foster with Victor Vodounou, one of his mentees from the Republic of Benin Republic. Victor is the first deaf person from Benin to earn a Ph.D and has followed in the steps of Andrew Foster by becoming a missionary to the deaf in French-speaking African countries. (Benin, 1984)

A young Black boy in a bow-tie and a belt that is too big and hangs down smiles while clutching a book.

Tim Foster, 1973

Foster and another adult pose with a group of teenage boys in soccer uniforms. Two boys sit in the front row with a trophy and ball between them.

Andrew Foster with a soccer team of deaf youngsters. He believed in the totality of mind, body, and spirit and encouraged deaf youngsters to do the same. (Ivory Coast, 1965)

An advertising flyer for the Christian Mission for Deaf Africans, based in Detroit. The Fosters and their four young children pose, and the text of Romans 10:13-17 is included. The tagline is "Have you prayed for us today?"

Berta, Andy, Faith, John, Andrew, Tim - c. 1968

Peter Mba, in white clothing, sits with about 50 students of all ages, from toddlers to young adults. Only a few students are smiling, others are posing to look cool, staring off in other directions, looking suspiciously at the camera, or just posing with a blank look on their face.

Dr. Peter Mba, the first deaf Nigerian to earn a Ph.D, with students at Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf. Dr. Mba was serving as the headmaster of the school when this picture was taken.

A color photo of three girls in blue dresses. Each makes one sign: "Jesus," "Loves," and "Me." They are in front of a sign labeled "Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf" in both English and Yoruba.

Three students at the Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf sign “Jesus Loves Me”.

Foster with a few dozen students of all ages, in front of a building and some trees. Most are signing "Jesus" in ASL, but one very young boy in the front is looking at the boy next to him and trying to copy the sign.

Andrew Foster with the first set of students at the Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf. They were making the sign for “Jesus”. (Ibadan, Nigeria, 1960)

Foster and a few teachers pose with a large group of students in front of a school. Younger children are sitting with their hands in their laps, and older children and teenagers stand behind them. Many are smiling at the camera, although one boy in the center is not paying attention, he looks off in another direction.

Andrew Foster with the first set of students at the Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf (Ibadan, Nigeria, 1960)

Students in white shirts sit at their desks in rows. They are facing a teacher, who has drawn a map on the blackboard, labeled "Routeway lines of Nigeria." A flower in a pot sits on a windowsill.

Students at a geography class. (Ibadan, Nigeria, 1960)

Andrew Foster stands behind a group of about a dozen students, who seem to be ages 3-12. Two teachers crouch in the front row. Everyone except Foster and one laughing girl is signing "Jesus" in ASL.

Andrew Foster with students and a couple of teachers at his mission school in Goma, Congo. 1985. Without Andrew Foster, there would not have been any opportunity for these fortunate young children to attend school.

Andrew Foster poses with his arms around two teenage boys. They are in front of a house with a chair next to the front door, and open windows under a metal-roofed porch.

Mentoring Future Deaf Leaders, Uganda, 1966

A somewhat fuzzy, old picture of Andrew Foster with two other adults, and eight children. They stand in in on the grass front of a house or other building. The children seem to be between the ages of 5 and 10.

Andrew Foster with the first students enrolled in the Ghana Mission School for the Deaf, the first school he established in Africa. (Accra, Ghana. 1957)

Andrew Foster, a few adults, and about a dozen children pose in front of a school building. The school's sign reads "Ecole Ephatha Pour Les Sourd-Muets."

Andrew Foster with teachers and students of the Ecole Ephatha Pour Les Sourds-Muet. (Bobo Dioulasso, Mali, 1983)

[Note: The city of Bobo-Dioulasso is in Burkina Faso. Dr. Agboola corrects this elsewhere in his notes.]

A group of three dozen Black and white people posing outside under a tree. Andrew and Berta foster sit next to each other in the front row.

Andrew Foster with participants at the Conference on Education of the Deaf, which he organized to bring together educators and government officials from across the African continent. The objective of the conference was “to provide a medium for a free exchange of ideas and information on the problems of deafness as well as to form an association of educators in this field” . (Ibadan, Nigeria, December 19 – 24, 1965)

A color studio portrait of Andrew and Berta Foster. She wears a heavily patterned floral top and jacket, and he wears a brown plaid suit coat with a gray tie. His hair is slightly graying. They are both smiling.

Andrew and Berta Foster, 1985.

A group of men and women pose and smile outside a building. Foster stands on one end of the group in a light blue and white shirt.

Andrew at a leadership training conference held in, Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1986. He frequently organized training conferences for school and mission leaders, both deaf and hearing at his African headquarters located in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Ten young boys kneel on each other to form a human pyramid. They are all wearing tank tops that say IMSD. An adult is watching the bottom row for safety.

Deaf student-athletes at Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf, Nigeria, 1960.

A color photo of a several dozen Africans in front of a church with a metal roof. Foster crouches in the front row, wearing a shirt and tie. A young man has his arm draped around Foster's shoulders.

Andrew Foster with a group after church services in Kinshasa, Congo, 1979. This picture illustrates Andrew Foster’s well-known accessibility to the deaf population he served. Notice how the young man next to Andrew casually placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder.

Additional Photos