Biography of Bill Irwin

Bill Irwin - Speaker/Author

Bill Irwin, with his Seeing Eye dog Orient, is the only blind person to have completed the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail. His historic hike began in Georgia and ended almost nine months later in north central Maine. This amazing odyssey was the single most publicized human endeavor that year, and an inspiring example of overcoming the odds for all.

Bill continues to inspire millions of persons each year as a much sought after keynote speaker and business leader. His unique message of perseverance and the will to survive tantalizes very diverse audiences throughout the world as he inspires his listeners to achieve their impossible dreams! His home spun, self deprecating humor and life experience (over thirty years in corporate America in management, recovery from alcoholism, the Appalachian Trail experiences and encounters as a family counselor) allow him to make life-changing observations, which translates into eventual life changing decisions in the lives of every person in his audiences! Punctuated by his humorous stories, Bill's presentations steal the hearts of everyone in each audience.

Bill was in corporate management with a large company for 30 years in a senior management position. He has also been in business for his self for the past 16 years as the president of Irwin Associates, Inc. He knows how to inspire upper managers to motivate themselves and others. Bill was also in charge of Human Resources for a company that has over 20,000 employees.

Blind Courage, the account of Bill's lifetime of overcoming the odds and his incredible journey, was released nationally in 1992, now in its eleventh printing, and has been a best seller. Dr. Schuller wrote the forward to the book. Bill has appeared on television programs as "The Morning Show" on NBC , "Sonya Live" on CNN, "Heart to Heart" on CBN, and "The Hour of Power" from the Crystal Cathedral. He is the subject of many magazine articles including the cover story in Guideposts. Blind Courage was published in 1993 in the United Kingdom and Germany and in 1994 in Taiwan.

"Bill did more than just achieve the unbelievable; he touched and inspired countless others with his example of courage and perseverance". - Tom Walters, Special Correspondent, USA Today

"This was one of the most fascinating true--life adventures that I have ever covered. It is a powerful story of a blind man who walked over 2,000 miles over some of the roughest terrain in America". - Al Dale

"Bill Irwin's speaking style is comparable to a cross between Lewis Grizzard and Garrison Keeler". - Don Silverman, Emmy winning Hollywood producer

Speaking Topics - Partial List

Inspirational- Taking Effective Control of Your Life
Leadership - It's Easier To Lead 1000 Than To Push 1
Motivation - "Aiming high and learning how to get there."
Change - "Learning to Live A Controlled Life In a World That Is Out Of Control
Health and Wellness - "Dare To Be Different"
Diversity - "Just like Me"

Awards

Nominated for the America's Aware by the Norman Vincent Peale Foundation
Special Courage Aware from the Dunlop Pro-Am Awards Committee
Named Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award by Recordings for the Blind and Disabled
Presidents Sports Award
Outstanding Achievement Award by the Civil Conservation Corp. of Maine, Chapter 3
Margaret P. Jirak Distinguished Service Award by the Mayor's Committee of Alamance County, NC
Nominated for the North Carolina Committee for Disabilities Distinguished Citizen's Award

Partial Client List

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Express
Capital Area Life Underwriters Association
Ciba-Geigy
Coca Cola Company
Denny's Franchise Corporation
Dunlop Corporation
Farm Bureau Corporation
FDIC
First Data Corporation
Goodwill Industries
GlaxoSmithKline Pharmceutical
Guideposts Magazine
IBM
International Congress of Outdoor Recreation and Education
International Technologies Education Association
Kentucky Broadcasters Associations
L L Bean
Los Angles County Management Council
National Association of Court Managers
National Automobile Dealers Association
Outdoor Writers Association of American
Professional Secretaries International
Rhone-Poulenc
Sara Lee Knit Products
Southern Association of Colleges & Schools