PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE (PENNSYLVANIA) -- Bill Shannon, a student at Fulton Elementary School, suffered from a degenerative hip condition that required the use of crutches. Cunningham, then a first-grader living in Highland Park, often saw him at the top of the stairs during recess, unable to play with his classmates.
“I just have this vision of him standing up there and wanting to know more. What’s this guy’s story?” said Cunningham, now a 48-year-old associate professor of Journalism at San Francisco State University.
They eventually met and bonded over their shared feeling of otherness stemming from Shannon’s disability and Cunningham’s half-Japanese heritage. They stayed in touch over the years as Shannon developed a unique style of dance using his crutches and a skateboard that earned him national recognition.