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Honorary Team Ambassador
Harry C. Cordellos
If you have never yet had the pleasure or honor of meeting Harry Cordellos in person, let me take a little of your time to tell you about this inspirational man. He is a world class athlete as well as a regular motivational speaker at schools, civic groups, business conventions and corporate clients. From Ironman triathlons to marathon runner, to water-skier, snow skier, golfer, hang glider, crafts specialist, and more. His list of accomplishments goes on and on.
In the Air Chair instructional video we speak of how anyone can learn to ride the Air Chair, Grandmas, kids, physically challenged, young or old, etc . Well Harry Cordellos is one of those, dare I say… physically challenged riders. Although Harry is blind, he has probably done more in life than most people will ever do. Harry was born on November 28, 1937. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all his life except for the past ten years where he now resides in downtown Novato, which is in Marin County, California. His apartment is filled with bowling, running, skiing, swimming, and golfing trophies just to mention a few. Being born blind with glaucoma Harry had 8 surgeries before he was a year old. At the time there were only about a dozen known infant cases of glaucoma in the Bay Area. Harry had only about ten percent vision in his right eye, and the ability to identify objects at a distance of about two feet with his left eye. Something I have learned about Harry is he's as tough as needed to accomplish what he has done in life, while on the other hand he's also sensitive enough to appreciate the gifts he has. While growing up he would sit by the radio and cry along with the housewives as they listened to "The Romance of Helen Trent", "Ma Perkins", "Our Gal Sunday", and other morning radio soap operas. He lived his first fifty seven years in the city itself, just three blocks from the beach out by the Cliff House and Playland. Harry developed a keen interest in mechanics. He spent hours building things with his Erector Set as were inspired from watching rides by the hour at Playland. Today he loves carnival rides, but back then he wouldn’t dare think of even riding a merry go round. Not to mention rides that turned you upside down and spun you around. His fascination with roller coasters first began after seeing one in the film “This Is Cinerams” in 1955. He has tried out some pretty good coasters around the country and in March of 2005, he hopes to check out the four new ones at the newly reopened Cypress Gardens. As for other rides, his favorites have always been the "Tilt a Whirl", and the "Zipper". His vision was limited and prevented him from doing much with sports. However, Harry did enjoy softball and touch football until he got a few balls in the face that broke his glasses. His family never heard of the word “rehabilitation” so Harry was always overprotected and sheltered against anything that could cause him injury. He made it through Junior High School attending special sight conservation classes in which all of the school work was produced in large print. As a sight saving class student he was not allowed to take any shop classes which involved power tools. By High School, his sight had improved a bit and his doctor suggested that he try regular classes. This is what the real world would be like, and for the first time in his life, he would learn how to get around on busses and streetcars.
While attending school he had always wanted to learn to play the organ or an accordion, but they did not teach those instruments. He did learn the clarinet and the tenor saxophone in Junior High. After High School he learned how to play his brother’s trombone. Harry rebuilt his Grandfathers mandolin; he made his own water ski, as well as building his own guitar, which has provided many enjoyable hours around the campfire.
Harry’s sight failed again as high school neared completion and he became totally blind when he was about 19 years old. Six more operations could not help and Harry ended up at the California Orientation Center for the blind in Oakland. Another change, this is where he was literally born again, a new life. Harry learned how to cross busy streets, communicate with others by Braille and typing, operate power woodworking tools and do so much more. I wonder what his Junior High teachers and counselors would say today if they saw Harry turned loose with a radial arm saw! Then came the water ski weekend at Don Pedro Lake where Harry’s personality changed in the amount of time it took to yell “Hit It” and for the boat to accelerate. Psychologists say that once a personality is formed, nothing changes it dramatically except for a traumatic situation. Harry’s life was about to change yet again. In August of 1958 at a weekend social for the California Orientation for the Blind, he met Everett Whitney. Better known as “Whit”, he taught Harry how to water-ski. Harry remembers thinking, “if I can do this, no one will ever be able to tell me again I can’t”. He says learning to hang onto that tow bar must have been traumatic, because it did change his personality as well as change his life. Not even knowing how to swim, but Harry was up for the challenge. He did have something special with him though; a lot of faith in God and plenty of faith in the man driving the boat. Harry has said "if he didn’t have faith in God, he wouldn’t be here now". Whit was a very positive person with a lot of good reasoning in his thoughts. When he told the caretaker at Don Pedro Lake that he wanted to teach blind people to ski, the caretaker said he was crazy and that he would get someone killed. After watching the first test run, the caretaker turned the whole camp area over to their group and said they had first choice of the use of the dining hall as well. Whit also taught Harry how to operate standard power tools with no additional safety guards. Unfortunately, Whit lacked reasoning in one area and it eventually cost him his life. Whit was a heavy smoker.
Harry also gives credit to his good friend Phil Paulson. Harry met Phil in March 1970 at a foot race in San Francisco. They were already practically neighbors; Phil offered to take Harry to Lake Merced for the weekly run put on by his club then afterwards out for pizza. Phil offered to be his guide for the race; it must have taken no more than twenty seconds before they began to talk about water skiing. Phil is the man that taught Harry how to water ski on a single ski. Phil told Harry he had a place in the Delta and as soon as he finished remodeling his guest cottage that he would have Harry up there. Many people tell Harry “some day”, but sometimes some day never comes. However with Phil he would give Harry progress reports, and one day he said “How would you like to come up to the Delta this weekend?” Phil’s someday was here! He pulled Harry a few times on double skis and quickly got comfortable towing a blind water skier. Then they tried Harry’s newly built slalom ski. Harry recalls thinking he must be swallowing half of the Delta besides getting whipped wildly from side to side out of control. Harry was about to give up on his slalom ski, then Phil offered to let Harry try his slalom ski. Harry got up right away and had control over it. The problem was not the skier, but the ski. Harry immediately repositioned the bindings and put on competition bindings. Since then his slalom ski has been very active, even carrying him from Catalina Island to the Queen Mary in 1985. Phil is now a retired San Francisco engine mechanic who now resides in Discovery Bay. Harry and Phil have known each other over 24 years and you can still find them chumming around like a couple of old high school buddies.
Harry met another very special friend, Mike McAviney, just as Harry was finishing up his training at the Orientation Center and Mike was just starting his training. Harry says Mike is the most interesting person and it is amazing that they ever got back in touch after first meeting. They had parted company after about three weeks, then Harry ran into Mike again two months later for their second annual Don Pedro Lake trip. Harry witnessed Mike’s first water ski ride and he knew exactly how Mike felt. They never saw each other again for seventeen years. It was during this period of time that Harry struggled through college. Meanwhile, Mike became the first blind person to ever join the Peace Corps. Mike also endured a lot of stress and politics before getting his foot in the door. He served in Ecuador and while there, survived a plane crash due to overloading. But Mike got right up again and continued his tour of duty successfully. Mike gave Harry a keyboard that has given Harry the opportunity to play just about any instrument he wants to by pushing a button. Harry’s piano training was just one class at Cal State in Hayward, CA. But there was no instrument for him to practice on. Harry also learned how to play music on a turkey baster and has performed at talent night on cruises. His latest adventure is learning to play the musical saw. Something tells me it won’t take him long to learn that too!
Harry graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco, and California State University, in Hayward. As the first full-time blind enrollee at San Francisco College in the early 1960’s, Harry was a top-notch photography student. Using the heat of the sun, he could estimate exposure time. He would then pace off the distance to calculate focus, and tapping his cane to the center of the subject. To no surprise he wound up taking the top photo in one class exercise. Graduating in 1966 with his masters in physical education science, he also has an AA Degree in Education, a BS Degree in recreation.
Harry’s first marathon run was the San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers in 1968. Bay to Breakers was originally called “The Cross City Race”, started approximately 1912. Then later it was re-named Bay to Breakers after the San Francisco Examiner took over sponsorship in the early 60’s. Harry was awarded “The Most Courageous” award for the marathon and has continued to run it every year since. His brother Peter is the one who got Harry running. But Harry says, “funny thing, Peter quit a long time ago, I’m still running, and I’m the one that’s blind”. Peter, I think that’s a challenge!
Harry's run is assisted by Mike Koomas
In 1976 Harry and Mike McAviney’s paths were to cross yet again. Still living in Longmont Colorado, they had both been invited to a cross country ski program in Colorado but had turned it down due to other obligations. Then they both had a change of individual situations and accepted the ski trip as there were a couple spaces still open. At the introductory social, Harry heard a man across the room say, “Hi, I am Mike McAviney from Longmont, Colorado”. Only one man could have a name and a voice like that and they compared addresses. The rest is history. They now make it a point to get together several times a year and Mike always insists Harry spend the holidays with Mike and his family. Mike was among two other people who submitted essay’s naming Harry to carry the torch for the Winter Olympics. Mike’s essay was accepted and he flew out to be with Harry as he took off with the torch in San Francisco’s Fisherman's Wharf district. Above the cheering when Harry stepped off the bus and was handed the torch, he heard Mike’s familiar voice shouting from the crowd, “Go Big Foot”. Mikes foot is only one size smaller than Harry’s but Mike calls himself “Little Foot”. Mike will also be joining Harry in February 2005 for the Ski For Light Canada cross country skiing. They will then be in Snowmass Colorado early in April as well as at the National Blind Bowling Tournament in New Orleans over Memorial Day 2005. Mike will also be joining Harry to run the Bay to Breakers race May 15, 2005.
In 1971, Harry swam the Golden Gate Bridge crossing. Participating for over 3 decades he has rowed, ran and water skied with the San Francisco South End Runners. In Hawaii’s Ironman Triathlon, he was the first blind person to enter and complete it. He has also run in other marathons such as the Boston, Honolulu, & Long Beach marathons. In January 2000, he spent the New Year water skiing in the annual Frozen Bun Run in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’s Piper Slough. His most recent award is the Presidents Award of the World Humanitarian Sports Hall of Fame, presented during a black tie affair on December 29th, 1999 in Boise, Idaho. Such luminaries attended as the baseball great Harmon Killebrew. Pretty impressive I’d say, average men would be boastful but not Harry, as his equally impressive self-deprecating sense of humor demonstrates. One time back in 1978 while running with his pal in San Francisco, Mike Restani remembers this one man came up to Harry and said, “I’ve been blind in one eye for 16 years and I can’t see how you do it”. Harry’s answer was, “I’ve been running for 20 years, and I can’t see how I do it either”. Mike Restani has known Harry over 29 years, appearing with him in the award-winning 1979 documentary “Short Run”.
As for sports today, Harry is not as fast as he was thirty years ago, but the important thing is that he is blessed with the ability to keep doing sports. He still places in the top three each year at Ski For Light. The National Disabled Water Ski tournament will come up in August and although he missed it last year due to lack of any sponsorship, he does plan to go back this year and give those younger skiers a run for the money. Harry enjoys bowling, ping pong, golf, ice skating, as well as downhill skiing are also high on his interest list. On August 17 of 2008, Harry will celebrate his 50th anniversary of that special day at Don Pedro Lake where he first learned to ski. Though he does most of his skiing today on a slalom ski, wakeboard, or the Air Chair, Harry can still put on a pair of doubles and as he rises up out of the water he can still get that same thrill he did when he first learned to water-ski.
Not even setbacks slow Harry down. In 1979 he lost his right eye to an infected ulcer caused by second-hand smoke. He was working in a room with no windows at the Bay Area Rapid Transit, along with four women who wouldn’t put their cigarettes out until they lit the next one up.
Bob & Jan Woolley met Harry at a boat show during the first couple of years after starting Air Chair. While attending the boat show Harry came up to the Air Chair booth, felt the ski and said “I ride one of these”. Jan recalls being surprised as Harry was holding a white cane with a red tip. Harry learned to ride the Air Chair in 1991 on one of the first versions. It is believed Harry is still the only rider that is totally blind. While striking up more conversation Bob learned Harry had also done high platform diving. Bob was intrigued as he also had done high diving himself. “How do you know when to open up in a dive” Bob asked Harry. Someone sits on the side of the pool and slaps the water so I can hear how close I am getting, Harry replied. What hasn’t Harry done! From east coast to west coast, Harry has been involved in water-sport shows and various programs. On many occasions Harry has performed at Cypress Gardens of Florida. His first visit to Cypress Gardens was just before Thanksgiving in 1980 where he was a guest spectator. He had visited the Christian Family Water Ski School for a weekend and its founders, Fred & Wanda Horrell surprised him by having the folks at Cypress Gardens dedicate the morning show to him. After the show, Suzanne Curry, the public relations lady at Cypress Gardens asked Harry if he would like to go skiing. Skip Gilkerson, a driver at the time, and Jimmy Cassate, one of their performers took Harry out on the lake and on the way in they had him ski around the show circle. When the owner of the park, Dick Pope heard about it, he said Harry would never do that again! Dick told Harry he could be in the ski show and Harry had a standing invitation whenever he came back. From May of 1981 until present Harry has gone back just about twice a year for weekend appearances. The only exception was when the Gardens were shut down. In the beginning, they would just take the slalom act out of the show and Harry would fill the slot. Once the show became choreographed with perfect timing to the music, he could no longer ski the same way as he was not able to fit his ride into the script. In place of his original demonstration, the show team invited Harry to ski a pre-show and that is where he introduced the Air Chair, even before they put the Air Chair into the act and before their ski riders perfected riding the Air Chair themselves. Harry is a true leader! On three occasions, they wanted Harry to be in the main event instead of just skiing as people were entering the stadium, so he was put into the three or four tier human pyramid for the grand finale for the show. One error by him and the whole pyramid would have to be redesigned on the way into the stadium. They have always done it without a flaw. Harry never imagined he would perform in the ski show at Cypress Gardens. For a water skier it’s like hitting the winning home run in the World Series at Yankees Stadium, as told by Harry. The folks at Cypress Gardens truly know the meaning of “No Limits” and that is why his latest book was dedicated to Cypress Gardens. Harry says “if they didn’t show true faith, then nobody has faith”.
Harry has also been active with the Mission Bay Water Ski and Boat Club assisting with events they host for the blind. During the usual ski season, one Saturday per month the club provides boats, equipment, and even a picnic for the Braille Institute, The League for the Junior Blind, and the San Diego Blind Community Center. Harry says it is one tremendous program. He has been a water skier since August 17, 1958 and has ridden the Air Chair since 1991. Are you ready for this? Harry has also run 151 official marathons, including 12 Boston Marathons. In 1975 he finished the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 57 minutes and 42 seconds. He still holds the national record on the Boston Marathon for the totally blind. He won the first World Blind Marathon Championship in 1982 that was held in Vancouver, BC with a time of 3 hours and 59 seconds. He also learned how to ice skate, and works out at the YMCA near his home.
Harry has written three books. The first was titled Breaking Through. It was an autobiography published in 1981. The next was a textbook entitled Aquatic Recreation for the Blind, published in the mid 80’s and it covered more than just paddling in the water. It pretty much paralleled his aquatic background with safe and practical methods of teaching a full range of aquatic activities to people with vision loss. The latest, a biography entitled “No Limits”, which involved a co-author who interviewed people important in Harry’s life so they could get more than just his viewpoint. The original “no Limits” came out in 1992 and the last edition with an added front piece with the quote that sets the mood for the whole book. This latest edition also has more photos, including his favorite Air Chair photo and a miniature mechanical Christmas carnival, which has was also been exhibited in the Stonestown Mall in San Francisco.
It has been a pleasure getting to know Harry better. If you get the chance pick up one of his books and read them, I’m sure you too will find great inspiration from reading his books. Also check out this link about Harry Cordellos. WWW.BOBALU.COM
