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Dr. Fred Sammons, long-time friend and supporter of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University has been honored as the 2012 AMBUC of the Year.

AMBUCS a non-profit service organization dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities. The organization performs various acts of community service, provides scholarships to therapists, and provides AmTryke therapeutic cycles to individuals who are unable to operate traditional bikes.

Since becoming involved with AMBUCS in 1995, Sammons has made numerous contributions on both a national and local level. His combined engineering and occupational therapy skills helped to make him the supreme inventor for AmTrykes and accessories. Sammons has become known for inventing products to fit people's individual needs.

Sammons is the founder of Sammons Preston Inc., the largest, worldwide distributor of rehabilitation equipment and supplies. The company he founded eventually grew into a multimillion-dollar business and is now a part of Patterson Medical Inc. Sammons earned his OT degree at Virginia Commonwealth University on the GI Bill and holds an honorary doctoral degree in public service from WMU.

In November of 2011, Sammons and Dr. Barbara Rider, professor emerita and past chair of WMU's Department of Occupational Therapy, made the largest gift ever given to an Occupational Therapy Department, in the amount of $2 million dollars.

To learn more, please follow the links below:

WEBSITE — AMBUCS.ORG

MyWMU — WMU CLAIMS MONUMENTAL GIFT

KALAMAZOO GAZETTE — SAMMONS HONORED BY AMBUCS

Sammons is pictured at right accepting the award.