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Although he won’t actually be piloting the cardboard replica of a Civil War gunship in the upcoming Crazy Cardboard Regatta at Voice of America Park, “Captain” Scott Strickler has been the inspiration and guiding force for the project.
According to his mother, Ellen Strickler-Bacon, Scott was in a car accident on Millikin Road in 2003 and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
“Scott was in the middle, the driver died and the guy in the passenger side walked away,” she said. He was 18 at the time, and hasn’t been able to speak since, though the family and his caretakers have found ways to communicate with him, including using “Yes” and “No” cards taped to the tray of his wheelchair that allow him to answer questions easily, and when a visitor comes calling to look at the boat, Scott offers his hand as a greeting.
Coincidentally, Scott’s stepsister Stacey Bacon also suffered severe brain trauma in an automobile accident seven years earlier. Both were 18 at the time of their injuries, and even more coincidentally, they knew each other as children before Stephen Bacon married Ellen Strickler.
“When they were little, Scott and Stacy had the same babysitter,” Ellen said, and she and Stephen were introduced by a mutual friend, they recognized each other from that. “We started dating after we found out our kids both knew each other.”
“For a time, they were as close as any brother and sister,” Stephen said. “They fought and argued and loved each other.”
Neither have spoken a word since their accidents, and their mobility is severely restricted. They can stand, but not without help and not for long.
Both require 24-hour care and take up to 20 medications each daily. After Stacey’s accident, the Bacons built a home in Liberty Twp. to accommodate her needs, but fortunately had included an extra door to her specially-equipped bathroom so that Scott, after his accident, and his caretakers can access it as well. They share a physical therapy space in the basement.
Still, according to father Stephen Bacon, they are not the kind of family to sit at home, and show photos of a recent fishing trip to Voice of America Park in West Chester Twp., where the Cardboard Regatta will be held on July 22.
The boat project began when Carol Buckner of Buckner Employment Services and Training, a firm that has been working with Scott and his stepsister Stacey, attended an Arts Council board meeting in which they discussed the Council’s new relationship with the Crazy Cardboard Regatta.
“I knew Scott liked to be part of the community and do things, so I immediately thought of him,” she said, and passed word along to her son, Jeff Buckner, who is the Bacon family’s case worker, who got the project under way.
It soon became a family effort, but the family also includes Stacey and Scott’s caregivers, Jonathan Marcum, Chris McComb and Robert James. It was James who led the design process and came up with the plans.
“We all sat down and started talking about what kind of ship we wanted,” said Jeff Buckner, “whether we wanted a pirate ship or a sail boat. Scott decided it should be a canal gunship from the Civil War.”
“We started this as a design-only project, but Susan (Stretch, MetroParks’ marketing coordinator) convinced us to give it a try,” Ellen said.
Construction started about a month ago with packing materials and refrigerator boxes donated by Matthew 25 Ministries, and has proceeded a few hours at a time since.
“Captain Scott” has been part of the process from the very beginning, from helping come up with the plan to picking the colors and even doing as much painting as he is able.
Unfortunately, he isn’t physically able to pilot the boat during the race, and his mates are talking about drawing straws to see who gets the honors as they come up with a plan to at least get Scott at the helm for a bit before the boat is launched.
In addition to providing entertainment and encouragement for their children, the Bacons feel that Scott and Stacey can show the world that even severely injured people can still have an active and fruitful life.
“I think Stacy and Scott can stand for something in the future,” said their father. “I’m extremely proud of them and this project.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.
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