Page 253 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

THE EXCEPTIONAL HARLEY FETTERMAN

the age of eighteen. He wanted to visit all fifty states by the age of ten.
Mom said that was not doable, but Harley did so before he turned
eleven. He repeatedly testified in the Texas House of Representatives
in support of initiatives dealing with blindness.

Harley exhibited his intellect. He worked his way up to the top
rankings of readers during nine of eleven years in the Braille
Challenge. He pursued development of a tactual tablet and excelled
at STEM2U, NFB-EQ, and STEP programs. Before he passed away
his dreams included obtaining a degree from Texas A&M University.
One of Harley’s claims to fame fits his funny and friendly
personality. He is the only one who has presented jokes twice on our
monthly Presidential Release. Contemporaries miss him. Precious
Perez recalls Harley in one of our programs, STEM2U, as funny and
fun with a serious philosophical underpinning: “a leader who
listened.”
Harley really “owned his blindness," says his mom. He thought
that losing his vision at five was an optimum time as he was just
learning to read. Harley delivered an oratory speech in high school
entitled “Blindness Is Not Who I Am.” In that speech Harley opined,
“even though blindness has affected me greatly, it is still just a
characteristic of mine.”
Federation philosophy fit Harley like a glove. The National
Federation of the Blind helped him some in building the skills of
blindness like cane travel and Braille. His mother remembers that
what Harley gained most however from his membership in the
Federation was confidence. The opportunity to travel and to be
surrounded by those who believed in his capacity played a part in
shaping this wonderful youth.
Harley wanted to pay it forward. He benefited from many mentors
and he mentored others in our STEM programs. Harley was taken too
early and we will miss him immensely. We mourn the fact that his
future is not ours to share. But we can keep Harley’s spirit alive.
Federationists honor his memory whenever we pay it forward. If
Harley could join us, that is exactly what he would be doing with his
love, hope, determination, and humor.

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