Committee Member Dies
BVA Administrative Director John Williams recently learned of
the passing of Eleanor Diener Metz, longtime member of BVA’s
Kathern F. Gruber Scholarship Committee. Eleanor passed away August
14, 2003 after suffering with leukemia for many years.
"In addition to being a wonderful person, Eleanor did great
work and made meaningful contributions to the success of our scholarship
program," said John.
Eleanor’s father, the late Irving Diener, was a well-known
and respected financial advisor to BVA in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Association’s second most prestigious annual award is
named in his honor.
Kebbel Rediscovers Gift
A Vietnam veteran from Ohio who only recently experienced loss
of vision has overcome tremendous odds in order to resume one
of the great joys of his life.
Terry Kebbel, who served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1973 and
was stationed in Pleiku, Vietnam, in 1971 and 1972, suffered a
heart attack in May of 2002. As he underwent emergency heart bypass
surgery, Terry lapsed into a coma that lasted for three weeks.
When he awakened, he learned that a device had been implanted
into his abdominal wall to keep his weakened heart pumping. The
trauma to his body, both from the device and everything else he
had experienced, destroyed his optic nerve, leaving him totally
blind.
Terry received a heart transplant at the Cleveland Clinic a couple
of months later. Then, with the assistance of a few—his family,
the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, the Cleveland Sight
Center, and Ellen Papadimoulis (VIST Coordinator at the Louis
Stokes VA Medical Center)—Terry quickly began putting his
life back together.
Having previously developed a talent for producing works of stained
glass, Terry was determined that he could once again enjoy his
hobby and share it with others. He learned that he could use a
rubber-covered drawing board to produce the designs he creates
in his head. By placing a sheet of mylar film on the board, he
can draw a design. Terry then uses a pen to raise the outline
so he can feel the design as he draws.
The adaptive technique was tested when Terry was encouraged to
design a Christmas card for the Cleveland Sight Center’s
annual holiday card promotion. After drawing the design with help
from family members, he was able to cut the pattern, choose the
glass, and assemble the star. He named the piece "Luminous
Spirit," which was one of five pieces selected from 85 entries
submitted by 35 artists. It was Terry’s first work completed
after losing his vision.
Terry worked in aircraft maintenance instrument repair with the
57th Aviation Group in Vietnam. After an honorable discharge,
he worked as a power lineman. He used the GI Bill benefits to
improve his job skills by earning a technical degree from the
local community college, enabling him to work as a field service
engineer servicing power transmission devices for the Eaton Corporation’s
Dynamatic Division.
Terry recently completed his training at the Central Blind Rehabilitation
Center at Hines. He has been especially interested in relearning
his computer skills.
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