Disability History Fact: "Andy" Anderson
Office of the Governor Texas sent this bulletin at 10/23/2013 08:00 AM CDTCommittee on People with Disabilities
Ralph Alexander (“Andy”) Anderson, Sr. (1890 – 1956) was a sports writer for the Houston Post and then the Houston Press, where he regularly wrote a column on hunting and fishing along the Gulf Coast. During World War II, Anderson began rehabilitation work with returning war veterans with disabilities, with his focus on social and recreational activities, particularly outdoors. He invented attachments for sports equipment to permit persons with various disabilities to participate. Under his direction, annual wild-game dinners were instituted in several veterans' hospitals in South Texas, and Anderson visited almost 200 other Veterans Administration hospitals over the U.S. as volunteer-at-large to entertain and instruct the veterans in recreational pursuits. Through his efforts, the idea of adaptive sports became more high-profile. A park for veterans with disabilities was established on the east shore of Lake Houston and was named Andy Anderson Park in his honor.
Adapted from:
Ruby E. Anderson, "ANDERSON, RALPH ALEXANDER, SR.," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fan10), accessed September 27, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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