OCR Text |
Show This Man Proves That Loss of Arm Is No Handicap Living Lesson Pointed to War Cripples That They Too Can Succeed. MILWAUKEE. WIS. Orvllle Starke is one fellow who wouldn't 1' t the loss of his right arm keep inim from success in business, sports and social life. Now h't teaching his philosophy to amputees in the army's Thomas M. England hospital at Atlantic City, N. J., and also to discharged Milwaukee servicemen who have lost a leg or an arm. Starke is purchasing agent for the Holeproof Hosiery company. He is 51 and looks younger. His face is tanned and ruddy from being outdoors. His mustache is reddish, his hair thinning. thin-ning. He wears rimless glasses. His empty right coat sleeve is tucked neatly into his coat. His manner it aggressive and merry, says the Milwaukee Mil-waukee Journal. Starke was Just the man the army was looking for to put a zest for life back into depressed amputees; He was a civilian, he had no connection with the government, he had made a success in many fields. He was Just the kind of a guy to walk into the Thomas M. England hospital and say: "Look at me, lads, I'm as good as any man with two hands and two legs. I can lick 'em at any game and so can you if you've got any spunk." 'Seeming' Handicap, And that's how it happens that Starke has been making week long trips to the hospital, where there a re always about 2,000 amputees. He went there armed with many copies of a letter he had written about himself. him-self. The letter served as an Introduction Intro-duction and also as a biography. It was something to be read thoughtfully thought-fully by the amputees or to be read by Starke himself. In the letter, Starke told about the "seeming physical handicap" of the loss of a leg or arm. "I say 'seeming' advisedly," said Starke, "because as time goes on you, like I, will And that the loss of a limb is no handicap whatsoever, In fact, many of you men will find lt a thrilling thrill-ing challenge to better your position in life." Then he told them about how he lost his arm when he was run over by a streetcar when he was a youth. But that didn't Btop him from being be-ing an all-around man. His letter told it this way: "I played baseball, pitched and played center field. I played two seasons sea-sons of semipro ball. "I ran the 50, 100 and 200 yard dash and broadjumped In high school, Marquette university and the Wisconsin Athletic club. My best performances: per-formances: 50 yard dash, 3.2 seconds, sec-onds, tied the world's indoor record at Northwestern university gym; 100 yards, 10 flat; 220 yards, 22.3 seconds; broadjump, 22 feet, 3 inches. Nothing to write home about, you say? Well, maybe not, but I won more first places than I did second and third, as you will see from my scrap book. 'No Accident' Driver. "I can dive use the crawl or oreast stroke, also back stroke, not too fast, but I think I can hold my own with the average swimmer. "I have played golf for 15 years. First with right hand clubs. About three years ago I switched to left clubs with very satisfactory results. My club board average for 1944 was 91 H. The last game I played was 88. "As for my personal problems, I dress myself, tie my tie, my shoe strings, well, do everything that Is necessary to fill a normal man's dally duties. I drive a car and carry a safe driver's card, because I have never hnd an accident. "I'm morried and have one son, a swell boy, a champion golfer, now a liciitcnnnt in the air corps (Glenn a B17 navigator). "Today, after many years of doing do-ing things that to most two armed people seem miraculous, I still lead a normal, interesting and full life. I ' meet people dally, both fellow cm-1 cm-1 ployees and Incoming salesmen. With ' them and others, I always act natural, never am emburrasscd or give way to an inferiority complex. Result: they too feel natural and at ease in my presence. "So get yourselves ready for a lifetime life-time of thrills, make up your mind right now, like I did, that the loss of your arm is going to prove an advantage, ad-vantage, that you're going to show your family, your friends, the public that you've Just started to fight." |