Helmet, Cycling
Object number2024.45.2
Manufacturer
Bell Sports
Date2002
MediumPlastic; Foam; Nylon; Fabric; Paper; Ink; Adhesive
Credit LineGift of Rory Cooper
DescriptionGlossy black plastic cycling helmet. Aerodynamic style with hard black plastic top lined with dense black foam; the foam extends down below the hard plastic to cover the top half of the back of the head and the temples. Vent holes throughout. Black webbed nylon chinstrap with black plastic adjustment slides and buckle fastener. Chinstrap connects to internal black plastic suspension system; suspension system has blue and gray plastic elements on the back section. Interior also has blue-gray fabric padding strips along the suspension headband and at top of crown. DimensionsHeight x Width x Length: 16.5 x 8.5 x 11.375 in. (41.9 x 21.6 x 28.9 cm)InscriptionsEach exterior side has handwritten name in black ink at the temple area of the black foam: “R.A. COOPER”.
MarksExterior front of helmet, left side near center, and right side near center each have white oval with black text “BELL”.
Exterior proper left side of helmet has red and orange text “ARC”.
Each chinstrap adjustment slide has raised text "BELL".
Back of suspension system has text at left and right: "BELL".
Inside proper left side is rectangular white sticker with black printed text including “…Even in very low speed accidents, serious / … / …A…09167 / FRONT…”
Inside proper right side is rectangular white sticker with black printed text including “ATTENTION! …”
Inside back to the proper right of center is circular white sticker with black printed text “Built By / 18”.
Inside proper right side toward the rear is rectangular white sticker with black printed text “*ARC / ADULT / AUGUST 2002”.
Historical NotesThis helmet was used by Rory A. Cooper when he won the 2009 P3R Pittsburgh Marathon. Label TextDr. Rory Cooper, a bronze medalist in the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games 4x400 wheelchair relay and captain of a U.S. National team, has competed in every Pittsburgh Marathon since the inception of the race. He also implemented the handcycle assistance team--H-CAT--for the race, which supports racers’ medical and non-medical needs. A multisport athlete, Cooper has amassed more than 200 medals at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1980, a bicycle accident left Cooper paralyzed from the waist down. After returning home to recuperate, he enrolled at California Polytechnic State University. Frustrated by the weight and lack of mobility of his 80-pound wheelchair, Cooper modified it in his family’s automotive workshop. As he pursued an undergraduate, then master’s degree, in electrical engineering, Cooper’s interest in adaptive technology grew. With a PhD in electrical and computer engineering, innovating in that field became his life’s work. Dr. Cooper founded the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) at the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. He has directed the efforts to research, prototype, design, and share adaptive technologies that improve the health, mobility, and social inclusion of people with disabilities and older adults. Dr. Cooper, who holds more than two dozen patents, has received numerous awards recognizing his innovative work including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Biden in 2023, and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame®.
Related institution
P3R
Previous owner
Dr. Rory A. Cooper
Related institution
Human Engineering Research Laboratories
Terms
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Mine Safety Appliances Company
