| Graduation Year | Class of 1969 |
| Date of Passing | Nov 03, 2023 |
| About | Following graduation, Char did not let her spinal cord injury stop her from living life. She continued her love of athletics, competing in numerous wheelchair sports including track, marathons, basketball, tennis as well as participating in skiing and swimming. She medaled in multiple sports at the Paralympic Games in Rome, setting records that stood for years. Char went on to get a law degree from Gonzaga University and became a public defender at Associated Council for the Accused (ACA) in King Co. Her first assignment was as bailiff in the notorious Wah Mee mass-shooting trial. In the late 1980's, she retired from legal practice to begin a career in wheelchair dancing. Here again, she excelled where she combined her own authentic wheelchair movement skills (dubbed “front-end chair control”) with emerging techniques of contact improvisation, Char and her dance partner started their company, Light Motion Dance. Here they pioneered a unique dance vocabulary that had a significant and lasting impact on the field. Together, they lectured, gave workshops, and performed at venues throughout the United States, and four countries internationally. This caught media attention where her life story was covered by every major media outlet in Seattle, and by PBS. Some years later, Char returned to ACA as Board President, serving for over 15 years. During this period, Char also taught wheelchair skills to newly disabled patients on the rehab floor of UW Medical center, passing along her unique movement skills, and serving as mentor and role model for many when with disabilities. Char was married for 32 years to Dick Roth of Seattle until her passing. Per Dick, “Char was an indomitable and unforgettable life force, changing the perceptions of thousands, and the lives of dozens of disabled people, providing them hope and inspiration when it was needed most.” Char died in Seattle on November 3, 2023. |
| Events | https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/charlene-curtiss-1089024506 |
