First Disabled Person to Summit Mount Everest to Speak at CWU

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Gary Guller loved mountain climbing. But, in 1986, he suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a climbing accident. Even experimental surgery could not reverse his paralysis, so he made the decision to have his left arm amputated.

Undaunted, 17-years later Guller became the first disabled person ever to reach the 29,035-foot summit of Mt. Everest. In the process, during his 2003 Team Everest Expedition, he led the largest cross-disability group to reach the peak's base camp at 17,500 feet.

Guller will share his life story and experiences - augmented by images, video and multimedia slides -- during a presentation at Central Washington University on Wednesday, Nov. 30. He will also discuss leadership, overcoming adversity and the ability to raise a person's positive energy during his 7 p.m. presentation in the Hertz Hall auditorium.

For more information about the free, public presentation, sponsored by the CWU center for excellence in leadership, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 366-6151 or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.

Contact: Tom Ptak (509-366-6151/fax 509-963-1521/ e-mail: cel@cwu.edu)

Public Relations and Marketing: (509) 963-1943