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He raised over $35,000 for special-needs baseball by riding handcycle in New York Marathon
Doug Kern ’76 was paralyzed upon impact while making a tackle in a high school football game. After he was rushed to the hospital, doctors told his parents that if their son was even to survive, he surely would never walk again.
But that was not acceptable to this highly competitive athlete.
“Through much faith, help from countless friends, and a grueling therapy schedule, I walked out of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital eight months following the accident,” he recalls. “Close to 40 years later, I am blessed with a loving family and wonderful friends. I now walk with crutches but still try to maintain as active a lifestyle as possible.”
“Active” is an understatement. Kern was among 60 people from around the world who used a handcycle Nov. 2 to compete in the grueling New York City Marathon. (A handcycle is a tricycle that sits low to the ground and is powered by arm and upper-body strength.) He finished with a time of 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 22 seconds, but a more significant statistic is how much he raised for The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley: more than $35,000.
The organization gives special-needs children and young adults the opportunity to play baseball on their own, entirely accessible field.
“I volunteer as an ‘angel in the outfield’ (helper on the field), and this is a truly humbling experience,” Kern says. “Because of my situation, I feel a strong connection to these kids and want their lives to be as normal as possible. I also want them to see that there is so much they can do with their lives despite physical limitations. What this organization means to the kids and their parents is extraordinary.”
Kern’s wife, Claire, suggested that he try a handcycle four years ago after he gave up golf due to difficulty with balance.
“This opened up a whole new world for me; I can now spend quality time with family and friends in a sport that I love,” he says. “Because I am so competitive, I not only ride for fun, but also need to set goals for myself.”
Family support has been a constant source of inspiration.
“My wife is always my biggest fan, along with our two children, 12-year-old Nate and 10-year-old Abby,” he says. “Nate keeps me busy running to baseball and basketball games, and Abby is active in cheerleading and softball. I coach her softball team, which is quite a sight when you see me on the field in my wheelchair surrounded by 14 young girls! Despite my physical limitations, there isn’t much we don’t do, or try, as a family.”
Lafayette’s sensitivity to his disability attracted Kern to the College, where he majored in civil engineering.
“I initially chose Lafayette because of its commitment to help me get around campus as a handicapped individual,” he says. “For one thing, they waived standard policy by allowing me to have a car as a freshman. Other schools were not as accepting.”
Kern made many friends at the College and “learned that people from all walks of life could band together to help someone in need.”
After graduation, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that his engineering degree opened many doors during a time when jobs were scarce. His first job out of college was with MJ McTish and Associates in Wescosville, Pa.; he later started his own firm, Liberty Engineering, with business partner Bob Velekei. “We were successful,” Kern notes, “but after my father’s death in 1994, I left the company to run the family business of property management, and Bob has continued to run Liberty.”