Author Bruce McGhie was in demand to autograph copies of his book, "Ascent," after his extraordinary presentation at the Old Lyme-PGN Library.  Wendy Rieder is standing beside McGhie.

Author of “Ascent” Speaks at PGN Library

Bruce McGhie began his recent talk at the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library by saying that it had never crossed his mind to write a book.  Although he admitted, “I’ve led a highly unusual life,” he also thought “who could be interested in my story?”  Not to mention the fact that McGhie felt that there was “already a glut of books about overcoming adversity on the market.” 

McGhie has led a highly unusual life.  He has been a quadriplegic since suffering an Air Force training accident in 1955.  At the time he was 22 years old, a recent graduate of Harvard, and engaged to be married. These were also the days before “handicap accessible.”  In fact, it would be decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act would pass in 1990. 

Though paralyzed from the chest down and with limited use of his hands, McGhie was determined not only to live a normal life, but to live it to the fullest.  And he has.  He’s had a long and happy marriage, raised a family, enjoyed a successful business career.

He’s also traveled extensively around the world and become an accomplished photographer.  And McGhie’s physical limitations didn’t interfere with his passion for aviation.  Instead, he would become, in 1980, the first person to be licensed to fly gliders using hand controls. 

One of McGhie’s friends encouraged him to write about his life because it would be helpful for other victims of spinal cord injuries.  There are thousands injured in accidents every year as well as many wounded soldiers returning from Iraq with spinal cord and other critical disabilities. 

McGhie finally decided to write the book—“Ascent”—and its subtitle says it all—“How one quadriplegic fought for a full life and soared.”  But he said that he did so “tentatively” and that he really “didn’t want to dredge up the pain and suffering of the first years after the accident.” 

He also realized that he couldn’t write the book without dealing with the accident and its immediate aftermath.  It took him months to write just the first few pages. 

That evening in the library, McGhie read aloud from chapters in “Ascent.”  As he read, photos from his life were projected on a large screen (the photos illustrate the book.)  What is remarkable is that anyone viewing the images, without knowing McGhie’s story, would never guess that he was permanently disabled. 

There’s a photo of a radiantly happy couple on their wedding day.  After learning to be self-sufficient in a wheelchair, McGhie did marry his fiancée, Barbara, over the objections of her parents.  Today, after a lifetime of marriage, McGhie says of his wife, “The word ‘courageous’ doesn’t do justice to her.” 

The couple adopted two children and we see photos of a father giving his son a lesson in kite flying and a proud dad holding a blonde baby daughter.  There’s a shot of McGhie, a partner in a New York consulting firm, speaking at a business seminar.

There are also beautiful African wildlife photographs which were taken by McGhie himself.  He spent considerable time there and said that he was “deeply moved by what I  experienced in Africa.” 

But “the most exciting and radical thing” McGhie did was learning to fly a glider.  About one-fifth of the book is devoted to his flying experiences and the aerial shots that McGhie took while flying over the Teton Mountains are breathtaking. 

He told the audience that he had to give up flying about seven years ago because of a problem with his shoulder. But for twenty years, like the title of his book states, he was literally able to soar. 

He writes that he does miss flying, especially when he sees “a circling hawk or eagle gracefully working the lift in a thermal updraft.”  But he can say to himself, “I did that.  I know what it’s like.  I felt that freedom.” 

McGhie stated that he has had a response to his book from non-injured people and that the book has a message for anyone facing adversity—for instance, losing a child, coping with illness, or dealing with divorce.  “The attitudes I developed would apply to many life-changing situations,” he said. 

With the publication of “Ascent,” McGhie can add another accomplishment to his résumé—author.  A gifted writer, he received the ultimate compliment from a woman in the audience.  She told McGhie that she loved reading the chapters about Africa and commented, “I felt I was right there with you.”  She then suggested that he write another book about his time in Africa. 

One passage that this reporter particularly enjoyed reading is McGhie’s account of a trip to Paris with his then 14-year-old daughter.  His description of attending Sunday mass at Notre Dame Cathedral—one time when his wheelchair was most definitely not an obstacle—is memorable. 

Thoreau wrote that most men lead lives of quiet desperation.  In fighting his way back from a catastrophic injury to a full and productive life, McGhie began to look at the world differently.  He writes—“Somehow, the sun seemed brighter, the sky bluer, and the ordinary rituals and experiences of life had new meaning, new purpose.”  And he asks the question—Could it be that he’s gotten more out of life than the average person?

That answer will be obvious to anyone who reads “Ascent.”

Editor’s Note:  Bruce McGhie and his wife, Barbara, live in East Haddam.  He has counseled newly injured quadriplegic and paraplegic patients at the Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford.  He has also played a leadership role at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding in Old Lyme. 

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the library, David Winer, (right) addresses the audience at the conclusion of McGhie's talk.