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MEDFORD Glen Guttormsen will be honored Sunday for 60 years of generosity By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Sixty years after 5-year-old David Guttormsen was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and nearly 40 years after the young man’s death, his father is still giving to the Muscular Dystrophy Association “in any way I can, and anywhere I see or find a need.” The MDA will honor Glen Guttormsen for his decades of generosity at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, just prior to the start of the annual “Muscle Walk” at Bear Creek Park in Medford. In 1955 — “a very early time for MDA” — the organization was very helpful, Guttormsen recalls. “We had never even heard the term ‘muscular dystrophy’ … it was all eye-opening.” David’s tenacity and humor inspires Glen to continue to be equally helpful to those battling the muscle-damaging disease, especially children. "He is an amazing asset to the community,” says Malissa Bare, executive director of the Southern Oregon MDA chapter. “He even buys medical equipment when he hears of a need.” Guttormsen, who moved to Medford in 1994, has long been involved in raising funds and awareness — first in San Jose, Calif., and now the Rogue Valley. In 2010, he created MDA’s first-ever endowment for DMD research. He also provides scholarships for children with MD to go to camp, supplies the “equipment closet” at Providence Medford Medical Center and continues to raise funds locally. “I don’t do anything real special," he says. "I just make sure people get what they need.” Amy Ward, executive director of MDA Oregon and SW Washington, sees it as much more than that. “It is unusual to find such a generous person that has the capacity to give for 60 years,” she says. “His impact of giving goes far beyond the financial, it ties to the very hope of MDA’s vision: a world free of the harmful effects of muscle disease.” But, it is David who is the real story, his father claims. “David was a remarkable boy and young man,” says Guttormsen. Until relatively recently, boys with DMD usually did not survive beyond their teens. David, however, managed to graduate from San Jose State University with honors in 1973 at age 23. In its early stages, DMD affects the shoulder and upper arm muscles as well as the muscles of the hips and thighs. These weaknesses lead to difficulty in climbing stairs, maintaining balance and raising one’s arms. By age 11, David was confined to a wheelchair. In the less-than-wheelchair-friendly era of the 1960s and early 1970s, the Guttormsens “invented various and sundry” methods to lock and load David into the family van. That wheelchair “went places you wouldn’t believe,” says Guttormsen, sharing memories of camping and hiking trips and David’s determination as sports editor and photographer for his high school newspaper. When David enrolled at SJSU, he was forced to switch his major from journalism to geography because the journalism department was on the upper floor of a multistory building. There were no elevators or wheelchair ramps. David’s plight was quite illuminating to Guttormsen, who was head of facility operations at SJSU. With his son as guinea pig, he says, they spent weekends doing comprehensive studies of the campus, and then began “hacking away,” building by building, making the campus wheelchair-accessible. “Without any sizable money,” he says, he had to “nickel and dime” cutting curbs and building ramps. Just months after his graduation, David died. It would take another 20 years for the federal Americans with Disabilities Act to become law. On Sunday, the 91-year-old Guttormsen will be on the sidelines cheering on “Muscle Walk” participants and challenging others to contribute to MDA. “The spotlight should not be on me,” he says. “I am just a conduit to interest others to find ways to step in and help.” Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected]. By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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