H.E. “Ted” Thranhardt, CPO(E), passed away over the weekend. He was a resident of Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Thranhardt’s first job in O&P came at age 15, when he carved a knee from a block of hickory wood, a beginning that led to a career in O&P that spanned more than 50 years. Throughout his career, Thranhardt won the respect and accolades of his colleagues and has had a lasting influence on the O&P profession.
He worked at Hanger Orthopedic Group, now Hanger Clinic, from January 1958 through May 2010. Hanger Southeast launched the Thranhardt Lecture Series with a gift in memory of Thranhardt’s father, Howard Thranhardt, CP. The series recognizes excellence in educational programming at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists Annual Meeting and the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) National Assembly.
Thranhardt was part of the class of 1957 Northside High School in Atlanta and studied prosthetics at New York University and prosthetics and orthotics at Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center. He served as president of three major O&P organizations: the Academy, 1976-77; the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC), 1979-80; and AOPA), 1993-94.
AOPA presented Thranhardt with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, during the 2002 AOPA National Assembly in Chicago.