Remembering New College Alumna Cynthia Gettinger (1960-2012)

October 10, 2012 — Alumna Cynthia “Cindy” Gettinger refused to let her disability limit her. Paralyzed in 1981, Gettinger swam her way to the 1988 Seoul Paralympics in South Korea and returned with four gold medals — and four world records. At one point in her swimming career, she held eight world records: four in swimming, two in track and two in field events. Gettinger passed away on October 2, 2012, at the age of 52.
“Swimming was my freedom,” she once said. “Once in the water, I could really move.”
After graduating from New College in 1990 with a degree in cognitive neuropsychology, Gettinger coordinated Special Olympics Manatee County for almost two decades. She also served on the Easter Seals board of directors and traveled to Ukraine, Russia, England, Germany and Canada on mission trips.
Gettinger was injured in 1981 during one of her shifts as a paramedic. A mentally ill patient threw her against a wall injuring her neck and spine, which left her with low-level quadriplegia.
“I may be in a wheelchair, but that’s my only limitation,” she said in a 2005 interview with New College Magazine. “And while I was at New College, I was always treated just like any other person.”
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