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June 14, 2025 38 mins

Paralyzed from the neck down while playing college football in 1970, Ken Kunken was led to believe the best he could hope for was a career selling magazine subscriptions over the phone. But he battled back from the depths of depression and despair to become an award-winning assistant district attorney.

Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" Ken dreamed of things that never were and said, "Why not?"

But the Ken Kunken story is more than overcoming adversity. There's more -- much more.

 

 

After a lengthy hospitalization, Ken returned to Cornell, where he completed his undergraduate degree in engineering. Ken earned a Master of Arts degree at Cornell in education, as well as a Master of Education degree at Columbia University in psychology. 

 

Ken became a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor. He worked for more than two years at Abilities, Inc., where he provided vocational and placement counseling to severely disabled individuals. 

Was that enough?  Not for Ken! He enrolled in Hofstra University's School of Law and worked for more than 40 years as a Nassau County assistant district attorney, where he became a Deputy Bureau Chief. 

 


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