I had the privilege of meeting Harley Thomas last April, at the BMC SCI Gala in Boston.In Memoriam
The National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) awarded the first ever Harley L. Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award to the man who inspired the award and after whom it is named, Harley L. Thomas this week in conjunction with the 2007 Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Immediate past president of NSCIA's Board of Directors and long-time disability activist, Harley Thomas, passed away on September 4, 2007.
Born and raised in Utah, Harley joined the U.S. Marine Corps at a very young age, earning a discharge at age 19. He then served 18 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1976 as a chief petty officer. In the service, he was attached to the Defense Communications Agency, and was deployed to Colorado, Hawaii, Japan, Vietnam, San Diego, and Norfolk and Reston, VA. He was an early expert in large mainframe computers, and continued in the information technology industry in California after leaving the Navy. He earned a business degree from the University of Virginia while in the service.
While stationed in Japan, Thomas became active in motorcycle racing and continued racing for many years. He acquired a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident in Mexico in 1982, using a wheelchair since that event. These circumstances led him to new frontiers as an advocate for veterans and other people with disabilities. He co-founded Colorado Sports for the Physically Challenged, Inc. (CSPC), a sports camp for children and youth with disabilities, in 1985, and was executive director of the Mountain States Chapter of PVA.
In 1997, Thomas moved to Washington, DC to become the associate director of Paralyzed Veterans' Legislation Program. He skillfully coordinated The Independent Budget annually with three other veterans service organizations, testified before Congress, and represented Paralyzed Veterans nationwide at meetings and conferences. He chaired the VA's Volunteer Service Advisory Committee and served on the board of the Paralyzed Veterans Education Foundation.
Thomas helped to identify disability-friendly communities as a judge for the Accessible America Award for the National Organization on Disability. He is immediate past president of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and had served on the board of the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia.
