Curt Beamer
2002
Professional photographer Curt Beamer became involved in wheelchair sports and recreational activities in the late 50’s when he volunteered his photo services pro bono at the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services (DRES) at the University of Illinois.
He assisted Dr. Tim Nugent, founder and director emeritus of DRES, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and the Illini Gizz Kids and Ms. Kids teams that competed in the National Wheelchair Games since 1960.
While working Big 10 sports assignments for the UPI, AP and other major media outlets, Curt became interested in shooting intramural wheelchair football, basketball and national tournaments that took place on campus.
He and his wife Judy were competitive archers; Cur t volunteered to coach the Illini wheelchair archers who went on to gold medal performances.
When Sports ‘n Spokes was started in 1975 by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Cliff Crase, Curt became the official photographer. He has photographed regional, national and international (including the Paralympics) wheelchair competitions.
In the early years when budgets were tight, he often donated his services. Curt’s photos have contributed significantly to the success of wheelchair sports. Curt Beamer is mainly responsible for the vast S’nS wheelchair sports archives, which is considered the most complete in the world.