June 29, 2005 marked the last Board meeting for some of our Board members who did not get reelected or chose not to run for another term. Among the latter was Carlos Rodriguez.
A highly decorated Korean War veteran, Carlos was injured in 1950, when our organization was only 4 years old. A very young Carlos was instrumental, along with other young, energetic veterans, in putting this organization on the map. Carlos, ever the leader, was at the forefront of such important legislative initiatives as Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI), Home Improvements/Structural Alterations (HISA), and Automobile Adaptive Equipment. He also helped spearhead the effort that brought national attention to the deplorable conditions under which patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) at a local VA hospital were being treated, which resulted in the creation of a separate SCI system within the VA.
Carlos has served the organization and nation in many capacities in the last 55 years. He served simultaneously as Vice President of our organization and of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) from 1968 to 1970; he was then elected President by both organizations and served in that capacity from 1970 to 1972. For many years, Carlos was extremely active in wheelchair sports and served as volunteer sports coordinator. In 1987, President Reagan appointed Carlos to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Committee, which successfully raised the funds needed to construct the memorial that now stands in our nation’s capital.
I have described Carlos as a leader, and I know all who know him will agree with me. His bearing, his commanding voice, his extensive knowledge of world affairs, his ability to home in on the heart of any issue, helped to open many doors for the organization over the years. Just as importantly, they made Carlos a role model for those who came after him, including yours truly. We all know that underneath all that bravado is a gentle, caring man whose life-long ambition is to see that every person who shares his disability achieves their potential and lives healthily and productively.
Although a quintessential New Yorker, Carlos now lives in El Paso, Texas, with his wife Elizabeth. He continued to serve on our Board of Directors, and he repeatedly got the largest number of votes in almost every election in which he ran. This, of course, is testimony to how well known Carlos is, not only as a Board member, but as the former head of our Benefits Service department, which he led from 1972 to 1997. In El Paso, too, Carlos has been consistently volunteering at the local office of PVA , a role in which he continues.
It is with much nostalgia, immense gratitude, and deep admiration that we bid Carlos goodbye from an official post in our organization. From the Board, the many members whose lives he has touched, and our staff: We salute you Carlos, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
On a final note, I would like to welcome our new Officers, Clair Russell Hesselton, President Thomas Cooke, Vice President, William M. Murphy, Secretary, Kent S. Hogan, Treasurer, as well as newly elected Board Members Peter F. Addesso, Michele A. Leahy, David T. Leonard, Patricia Miller, and Franz Soni. Our newly elected leaders, particularly those who are serving on the Board of Directors for the first time, will be featured in future articles of Orbit, so that you get to know them, as well as the experience and strength they bring to the organization. Thank you all for volunteering your services to United Spinal and your fellow members. I look forward to working with you, and to what we can accomplish together.
Gerard M. Kelly
Executive Director
