Letter from the Prez

As I sit down to write about a very special man, I find myself struggling, not because of a loss of words, but where to start? Ken was a man who dedicated his life to his patients, his family, Wright & Filippis, his staff... I could go on and on. There are so many stories of how he went out of his way to help someone or anyone who may have needed help, at times for people he barely knew.

I had the pleasure of knowing Ken for most of my life. When I first started with the company, Ken's father, Robert, worked for my dad, and in my early career he was one of the individuals who helped shape me into the prosthetist I became. As I reflect back on those times, I realize just how lucky I was. Looking back, I also realize how Ken learned to be such a good technician and clinician – you see, Robert was an above-knee amputee and was able to share insights that we may have missed. In many ways, Ken was much like Tony Filippis Sr. He spent most of his life helping the disabled make a better life, and he did this with great empathy and compassion.

Ken was more than a fellow employee – he was also a great friend whom i shared a love of fishing with. To see the excitement in his eyes when he hooked a big salmon on a fly rod was only surpassed by his excitement when someone else was the lucky one... and in those cases, Ken was always ready with camera and net in hand. If you knew Ken at all, the most important thing in his life was his grand kids. No one was quicker with the pictures than Ken, and with a wide grin, he would proclaim, "aren't they great looking?... and smart, too!"

We were blessed to have Ken work for Wright & Filippis for almost 49 years, second only to Tony Sr. in tenure with the company. And when you'd assume his career was winding down, he stepped it up a notch by developing a new program called AmpuTeam in September of 2003.

His vision for providing greater prosthetic care and improved function is what led to the creation of AmpuTeam. Through this program, he also was instrumental in establishing Camp Yes-I-Can, a camp for amputee children held in the Upper Peninsula, again changing the lives of those around him.

Most recently, he worked very hard as a board member of the Extremity Games (X games for amputees) to ensure the event's success and to see it continue far into the future.

I hope this gives you a small glance into the life of a man who not only "talked the talk", but "WALKED the WALK". Let's not let this just be a memory, but his legacy.

Sincerely,
A.J. Filippis