Todd Anderson, referred to by Ottobock as the company’s “much-loved” VP of business services, passed away in August 2010 at age 50. But two years later, he’s being remembered in a fitting way.
Ottobock has announced that Minnesota’s first softball field for competitive wheelchair play has been named after Anderson, a certified prosthetist who himself lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. Nonetheless, Anderson was an outstanding athlete – a member of the National Wheelchair Softball Association’s Hall of Fame, a member of the U.S. disabled volleyball team, and an award-winning archer.
The field was funded in part by a $200,000 grant from Major League Baseball and the Pepsi Refresh project. The Minnesota Twins were among more than a dozen Major League Baseball teams competing for the grant, and after receiving more than 2 million votes, Minnesota’s softball field project idea was declared the winner.
The Courage Center – a non-profit rehabilitation and resource center – as well as Ottobock, the Twins and other organizations joined in to help make the softball field possible.
Ottobock President Brad Ruhl was among hundreds of guests attending the dedication of Todd Anderson Field in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Aug. 9.
“Todd had a substantial impact on a great number of people in his personal and professional life, and he continues to be greatly missed at Ottobock,” Ruhl said in a news announcement about the softball field. “The Todd Anderson Field is a very fitting tribute to the life he lived with engagement and passion, and we are pleased his memory is being honored in such a lasting way.”
