"A lot of things have happened to me in 50 years," SeaTac resident Garry Treadwell acknowledges with a serious tone.

Three years after graduating from West Seattle High School in 1958, he was a passenger in a car wreck that almost took his life. He broke his neck and became paralyzed.

"We were on the way to Bellingham and the freeway came to an end in Mt. Vernon," Treadwell remembers. "My friend missed the turn: I was in the back seat of his '56 Mercury."

But silver linings seem to outshine clouds when he recounts life after that tragic accident.

Treadwell worked for Boeing for 30 years in industrial design and financing.

He recalled shopping for a house in West Seattle since that was where he grew up, but it was hilly and most homes had steps to contend with. He found a ranch house in SeaTac with a front door and garage level with the street.

He met his wife, Judy, at Auerswalds Business College downtown, which has since closed. Like Treadwell she was Mormon and also depended on a wheelchair.

They adopted a baby girl, Trina, who now has five children and lives in Orting.

Judy died in 1991.

Now he spends most of his time with his grandchildren. He drives them to piano lessons every Thursday.

He said the driver's seat is more comfortable than his wheelchair, and he enjoys sitting in it reading a book, the newspaper, and even sorting bills.

Said his daughter, now Trina Hamlet, "Everyone wants to know what it was like being raised by two disabled parents. "The only part that really bothered me was being an only child. One incident I remember was in fourth grade when it was 'bring your parents to lunch day,' and everyone saw my mother in her wheelchair. At first I was embarrassed. But she was a room mother and had brought cookies and stuff before so all the kids knew and liked her."

Hamlet said her dad got into predicaments with his disability.

"He often fell out of his wheelchair because he got so excited," Hamlet recounted. "We went to Hawaii when I was in grade school and he dove into the ocean and I had to rescue him. He never thought of himself as disabled."

He competed in the Paralympics games, participating in wheelchair sports including the javelin throw, and swimming.

"The Paralympics games are usually held in the same city as the able-bodied Olympics, but in '76 when they were held in Montreal, we competed in Toronto," he said. "Montreal didn't have facilities for 1,500 wheelchairs."

He boasts he broke the national Paralympics record for the fly and breaststroke.

"He has gold, silver, and bronze metals he never pulls out," said his mother, Gwen Roper, indicating his modesty. "He always goes out of his way to help others and has been a wonderful son to me."

Treadwell's sister, Janice Whittier, lives with him but said he does most of his own cooking.

"He's an amazing person," Whittier said. "One problem living with him is that I clutter and he can't get around everything."

Whittier has an extensive Elvis Presley paraphernalia collection including action figures, felt paintings, and photographs she struggles to keep organized.

"I hate to say this, being his sister, but he's just one of those neat guys who does anything for you. And his memory is way better than mine," she noted.

Treadwell is helping with his West Seattle High class' 50th reunion June 6-8.

He jokes, "I used to lie about my age, but now I can't since I'm on the (reunion) committee,"

Treadwell's committee is still searching for class of 1958 West Seattle High graduates. Missing classmates may contact Audrey Tharp at (253) 931-1136 or visit sharptharp@comcast.net.