Born in 1926, Robert McKellar underwent many surgeries to correct severe birth defects caused by spina bifida. Little was known about spina bifida in the twenties, and most children afflicted with it died. Despite the odds, McKellar not only survived, but also filled his life with meaning and adventure. He graduated from the University of Portland in 1949, then began a career in teaching that took him to Idaho, California, Hawaii, and Japan. When he wasn’t teaching, he traveled the world, flew his plane, and wrote letters to his mother on which he based his memoir "An Accident of Birth," published in 1996.
Robert has disproved the physician’s declaration, in 1930, that he was mentally defective with his impressive resume. He was employed for 40 years in education, 23 years in classroom teaching English, Social Studies and Career education and 17 years in six different areas of guidance and counseling. These six areas are social casework, vocational rehabilitation counselor, school counselor, air force counselor, hospital counselor and institution counselor. In the sixties Robert amassed 200 hours flying time in his own airplane (an Ercoupe). Since Robert retired in 1990, he has circled the world. Japan, China, Russia, Finland, Denmark, New York and San Francisco by train and air. He was traveling when my first e-mail reached him. Robert is a self-published author with his first book in 1996, a memoir of his experiences with spina bifida. The second book is a fictionalized account of Robert’s experiences as a correctional counselor at San Quentin Prison and the California Medical Facility Vacaville. A third book has been completed — the story of two families at war — one Taiwanese and one American. Robert’s wife was born during an American air raid on Kaohshiung, Taiwan in January1945. We hope to add Robert’s first book to our collection and will advise readers when this happens.
