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Bowman ? Despite Disability, It's 'No Limits'! |
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Media advisory
issued August 21, 2002, effective immediately. Note:
This event occurred in 2002. Please see our news releases
section for upcoming events. Bowman — Despite Disability, It's 'No Limits'! ARDMORE — Dana Bowman's lifestyle would put most people into a tailspin — he's a bicyclist and water skier, he skydives, goes cross-country skiing and scuba diving, races motorcycles, rides snowmobiles, and is a helicopter instructor. And Bowman is the first double-amputee to re-enlist in the United States Army, after losing both legs in a skydiving accident. His astonishing story and motivational message is the first in the 2002-03 series of Profiles and Perspectives community enrichment programs. His public program is at 7 p.m. at the Plainview School Auditorium on Sept. 12. He will "dive home" his point to high school students by skydiving into Ardmore for the student presentation that morning. A former member of the army's elite Golden Knights parachute team, Bowman lost his legs, one above the knee and one below it, in a 1994 training accident. He and his teammate collided during mid-air maneuvers at a combined speed of 300 miles an hour. The impact of the accident severed Bowman's legs and automatically snapped open his parachute. His teammate was killed instantly. Bowman will present a special program for area students earlier in the day. His message for all programs is one he lives every day — "No limits, and never quit!" "In an instant, my whole life was changed forever," Bowman said of the accident that claimed his legs. But he quickly turned the tragedy into an act of triumph. Bowman re-enlisted in the army nine months after the mid-air collision in true air-borne army style, skydiving with his commander into the ceremony. The achievement was but the first of many successes under adverse circumstances that followed. He retired from the army in 1996, but continues to travel across the country, emphasizing by example that physically challenged people can still work and excel in today's society, and even in the military. Two years ago, Bowman received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota in commercial aviation, and flies helicopters. "We are excited to have such an energetic and motivating individual to kick off the first program of our 2002-2003 Profiles and Perspectives series. He has had many accomplishments during his life, and I believe everyone in the community will benefit from hearing his story of triumph," said Mary Kate Garner, chairwoman of the Profiles and Perspectives Committee at the Foundation. He has given more than 400 speeches in recent years and been featured in such magazines as Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest and People. He has also made guest appearances on such television shows as Dateline, A Current Affair and Real TV, and was named the NBC Person of the Week. Recently, he "jumped" (skydived) the game ball into the season's first Monday Night Football match between Houston and New York on Aug. 5. He spends much of his free time working with other amputees and disabled or physically challenged people. For more information about this or other Profiles and Perspectives programs, contact Mary Kate Garner at the Foundation at (580) 224-6246. All 2002-03 Profiles programs are free to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. at Plainview School Auditorium, 1140 S. Plainview Road. ### Photos: The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs. To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org. More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release |
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