Jim Caldwell
Jim was born in New York City ("but I got to Austin as quick as I could"). He grew up in Queens,
in a multigenerational home with assorted aunts, uncles, and grandparents, as well as his parents
and younger sister. He received his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. He served four years in the Navy, mostly as engineering officer on a minesweeper. Soon
after leaving the Navy (becoming a civilian employee at a Navy base), he killed himself.
Well, not quite dead ... but nearly. As a result of a backyard barbeque fire gone horribly wrong,
Jim was severely burned, and side effects of treatment left him totally blind and paraplegic.
Through great determination, Jim became self sufficient and able to live alone. He became one of
the first blind computer programmers in the country, and was honored as National Rehabilitant of
the Year in 1970.
He came to Austin in 1971 to attend The University of Texas, and earned his Ph.D. in Management Science
and Operations Research in 1979. He worked for IBM from 1979 until 1999. During that time, he was loaned
to The University of Texas for two years to teach an interdisciplinary class on employment problems for
people with disabilities, and loaned to the St. David's Foundation for a year to assist with a project
determining the root causes of public health problems.
Jim has served the State of Texas and the community in many ways. He was the Chairman of the Governor's
Committee on People with Disabilities for seven years. He was a board member of the Texas Commission
for the Blind and the State Health Coordinating Council. He was chairman of the board of Knowbility,
which works to make the Web more accessible to people with disabilities. He is a board member of the
Scottish Rite Dyslexia Center, which provides dyslexia remediation services. He was honored as Handicapped
American of the Year in 1985. Now retired, he remains active in the magic community and in the Dyslexia Center.
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