Rosalie Hixson
Achievements
Adaptive Sports Hall of FameRosalie Hixson is the first female athlete to have been inducted into the National Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame. She began her career in adaptive sports through her work with the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Center and represented the center in national and international competitions for over 15 years.
Over the course of her athletic career, Rosalie acquired more than 250 medals and 75 trophies—more than 70 percent of them gold. She competed in multiple sports, including field, swimming, and bowling. She was also the National Table Tennis Champion for Class 2 athletes four years running.
Rosalie’s strongest events were the field events of shot put, javelin, and discus. She was the dominant female athlete for more than six years, holding multiple national and international records. At the time, Rosalie held the record for most medals won by an individual athlete at the National Wheelchair Games, earning 14 medals out of 18 events entered. She also represented the USA at the 1964 Paralympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan.
Rosalie is the founder of the Central Penn Wheelers Sports Team and served as its president for multiple years. She also served as the chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Wheelchair Athletic Association for many years.
In 1964, Rosalie became the first woman with a disability to compete in and complete the Red Cross 50-Mile Physical Fitness Swim. Rosalie was very active in the community and served as a mentor to youngsters with physical disabilities. She was appointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness by Governor Milton Shapp.
In 1977, Rosalie served as the Easter Seal Campaign Chairperson for the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, she was involved in consulting with Pennsylvania state government officials to develop standards for more accessible design in public buildings.