Friends Author Talk: Ken Kunken

The East Brunswick Friends of the Library are hosting a special event with author and motivational speaker Ken Kunken at East Brunswick Public Library (2 Civic Center Drive) on Thursday, May 9 at 7:30 pm. He will be discussing his memoir I Dream Of Things That Never Were – The Ken Kunken Story.

Kunken broke his neck on October 31, 1970, while making a tackle during a football game at Cornell University. The injury severed his spinal cord, leaving him almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down.

He spent more than nine months in various hospitals and rehabilitation centers undergoing treatment. In 1971, while still a patient at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in New York City, Kunken testified before the United States Senate Health Subcommittee chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy.

He returned to Cornell where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and a Master of Arts degree in Education. He also earned a Master of Education degree in Psychology from Columbia University.

In 1977, Kunken worked as a vocational/rehabilitation counselor for people with disabilities at Abilities Inc. in Albertson, New York. He became a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor and made numerous public presentations on non-discrimination, affirmative action, and employment of the disabled. He was named the Long Island Rehabilitation Association’s “Rehabilitant of the Year.”

He earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1982 from Hofstra University’s School of Law. He went to work as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, Long Island, where he eventually became a Deputy Bureau Chief of the County Court Trial Bureau.

In 1996, he received the Honorable Thomas E. Ryan Jr. Award presented by the Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County for outstanding and dedicated service as an assistant district attorney. In 1999, Ken was awarded the George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award presented by the Hofstra Alumni Association Inc.

In 2009, Kunken became a member of the Board of Directors of Abilities Inc., and in 2017, he became a member of the Board of Directors for the parent company of Abilities Inc., the Viscardi Center.

Beginning in 2005, for eight consecutive years, The Ken Kunken Most Valuable Player Award was presented annually by The Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl in Saratoga Springs, New York, in recognition of Ken’s personal accomplishments, contributions to society, and extraordinary courage. In 2020 Ken was inducted into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame, as a member of the class of 2019.

Kunken continues to deliver motivational talks to a variety of groups and organizations. He lives on Long Island with his wife Anna and their triplet sons.

This program is free and open to the public.

Information on joining the East Brunswick Friends of the Library can be found online at www.ebpl.org/friends.