News Scrapbook 1988

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.I Evening Tribune (Cor. D. 123,064) AUG4 1988

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,au eBolts, famous for adoptions, settle into area life Couple in demand worldwide for inspirational talks about their experiences

The DeBolts' story has been re- counted worldwide and was the sub- ject of the 1979 Academy Award-win- ning documentary "Who Are the De- Bolts?" A television version of the story won an Emmy and has been shown in 48 countries. They have given more than 1,000 speeches in this country and abroad, and often are booked a year in ad- vance to speak at meetings of busi- ness people, teachers and service clubs. The couple have earned commen- dations from Presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Dorothy 1s one of the few women given the highest speaking award from the National Speakers Associa- tion. Their 10-year-old business, De- Bolt Productions, churns out cas- settes, videos and book that tell their tale and offer inspiration on self-development, families and ca- reers.

Tribune photo by Joe Holly

Tbe DeBolts relate experiences surrounding the adoption of 20 children

to give her father a surprise gift. She walked five steps down the stairs. Today, Karen is 21 and in the words of her parents, a "gorgeous" woman and a gifted musician. She plays the marimba holding mallets in hooks that serve as hands. The DeBolts recently wrote to the El Cajon and San Diego school dis- tricts, as well as some Christian schools, offering to speak for a re- duced fee.

that's enough,' " Dorothy said. "And I would go to my room and not only weep at her struggle . . . (I) would mutter some ... obscenities in my anger and frustration and think, 'Why are we doing this? She's never going to be able to do this.' " But the next day, Karen would be by the stairs "pleading to try it again," she said. By Christmas Day, Karen was able

born with no arms or legs. "There's a girl society would look on as this poor, helpless, torso of a child," Dorothy said. But Karen was stubborn. For in- stance, she insisted on learning bow to walk down the stairs with her prostheses. She hounded her mother to help her, day after day after day. "Sometimes, after working with her. I would be the one who said, 'OK,

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217 089) (Cir. S. 341,840) AUG 6 1 88

Cons. er, for instance, th they tell patients about their n JR. When they adopted the boy from w York in 1974, he was I years old blind and paralyzed from the waist down J.R. had been shuttled from one temporary home t anoth- er Doctors said he would never walk "He bad been treated that way by everyon he came in contact with," Dorothy recalled "He had no desire to prove him elf. This is a little boy who could have easily wasted away." Instead, the boy's new parents made demands. Tney challenged, · they prodded, they encouraged. They insisted tha their on think about what he had, not what he was rruss- ing J R not only urv1ved, he learned to walk with braces and crutches. He ran for tudent body presi ent. He graduated from high school with hon- ors. He is 22 years old now, living in hi own apartment in Oakland and studying to be a paralegal And there's Karen's story. Adopted in 1972 at the age of 5 Karen was story

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Los Angeles.CA (Los Angeles Co.) Times (San Diego Ed.) (Cir. D. 50,010) (Cir. S. 55,573) 7

1988

C.p: Views of effects on f races diffefy Continued from 6-2 Meanwhile, yesterday's hourlong debate included questions from audi- ence members, t'lOSt of whom threw their applause to the side of t e Coa- lition for a Balanced Environment. At times, tbe debater stooped to taking personal jabs at ec.ch other, with Navarro poking at Cav. thorne's "rhetoric" and "oratory," and Cawthorne in turn sw1 chmg to his "university" voice to pl ase the pro- fessor. Navarro also accused the coal tion of being backed by t e bui ding in- dustry. Former Rep Van erl'n D- San Diego, and Cawthorne "both 'de- nied the charge. Cawthorne argued that housing cap~ will create "ghettos 11 e Comp- ton m Los Angeles. I'm not saying we don't need growth controls. We do. But we don't need to take a meat-ax approach." "When this economy is made to sneeze, black people and Hispanics will get pneumonia," Cawthorne added. "So we don't want this econo- my to sneeze, we want it to be man- aged."

, Ill'-'• P. C. 8 1888 ASKETBALL ?Cf .... << Reggie Jordan scored 32 points and Shaun Manning added 26 as Nice Advice clinched the regular- season title of the Supreme Court Pro-Am Basketball League with a 92-85 victory over Courageous En- durance at the University of San !\ice Advice will be seeded No. 1 in the playoffs. The Crown, the defending Su- preme Court champion, clinched second with a 94-92 overtime vic- tory over The Truth on a shot by Nate Barnett, who led all scorers with 27 points. Justice For All won thew , regular-season title with ano~eif victory over Blind F h : Nelson scored 26 a.it • Elame Justice For All and~~nts to lead !is, who will b ' . nstme Wil- Bay Hi h S e a senior at Mission with 28 ioint~~i~kil~i ;~:t~corers th:guglar-season play end~ with runes today beg· . noon at USO Ad '. . mmng at Th 1 · m1ss1on is free e P ayoffs begin Saturday at 1·15 p.m. at the Jackie Rob . in San Diego. mson YMCA Est

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