Mary Carpenter
1999
Mary is originally from Great Falls, Montana. She is married to “the long-suffering Lynn”, who retired as a civil engineer and is a partner to Mary in all of her wheelchair sports endeavors. They have two sons, David, a physician assistant, and Doug, a social worker.
Mary attended the University of Montana in Missoula; the University of Colorado in Boulder; and the University of Denver, receiving degrees in education and physical therapy. While in PT school, she also directed a Red Cross swimming program for people with disabilities. This experience began a life-long interest in providing for sports opportunities for this population. Carpenter has been employed for twenty years as a physical therapist for the Jefferson County Public Schools.
Mary’s service to wheelchair sports began in 1970 with the first Rocky Mountain Wheelchair Games. In 1979, Mary co-founded the Tournament of Champions, a one-day meet for youth with disabilities from Colorado to compete in track, field and swimming. In 1984, she organized the Colorado Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, a week-long day camp for Rocky Mountain youth. She also served for years as the president of the Colorado Sports for the Physically Challenged organization.
Mary served on the Wheelchair Sports USA Board of Directors from 1990 to 1994 as the junior representative; on the Junior Committee from 1986 to 2006; on the Swimming NGB from 1996 to 2006; and was Games Director for the 1990 and the 1995 Junior Nationals Wheelchair Championships. Mary served as one of the early sports classifiers and officials for regional and national competition in track, field and swimming. In 1997, Mary traveled to Australia as the swim coach with the first ever USA Junior Team to represent Wheelchair Sports USA internationally.