Topic: TEI #011 - solved. Judge Quentin D. Corley in his Ford Model T adapted for a disabled driver

[Tom_I]

An early example of a car adapted for the disabled.

No points for the car - that's easy - but who is the driver, and what was his profession?

[Tom_I]

There seem to be plenty of rookie puzzles at the moment, so let's move this up to the experts.

[Tom_I]

Can the professionals identify this pioneer disabled motorist?

[pnegyesi]

Here we see Judge Quentin D. Corley, driving a very early model car with steering wheel adaptations for his prosthetic left hand; the right sleeve of his jacket appears to be empty. Corley looks to be a young man wearing a white summer hat.

[Otto Puzzell]

pnegyesi does it again!

Here's the full article:

[Tom_I]

Well done Pal! I had visions of this going to the Black Hole without a reply. And thanks for posting the article, Otto, after which there is not much more to say.

But to add some dates, Quentin Durward Corley was born in 1884, and was set on a career as a civil engineer when in 1905, at the age of 21, a railway accident deprived him of his right arm and part of his left. Despite this setback, he went on to become a highly respected circuit judge in Texas. Aside from this he developed (and in some cases patented) improvements to artificial limbs, and other aids for the disabled, and also designed the modifications to the Ford Model T in the photo, which enabled him to drive.

The photo was taken around 1916, when Corley was about 32, and had already been a County Judge for 4 years. Remarkably, he lived until April 1980, when he died at the age of 96.

[Aaron65]

I honestly thought that was a mannequin...so I was searching down that road.  I was pretty off on that one!