DAPS recognizes Davis Phinney with Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award

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DAPS 14th Annual event honoring parkinson’s

The Dallas Area Parkinson Society Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to living a healthy lifestyle through exercise, diet, and a positive attitude. The DAPS 14th Annual event honoring Parkinson’s took place on the morning of April 27 at the Highland Park United Methodist Church. Davis had been nominated for the award by our friend Dr. Mike Braitsch, PT, DPT, owner of Tribe Wellness. Davis Phinney Foundation Executive Director, Polly Dawkins, and Director of Community Engagement, Jenna Deidel, traveled to Dallas to attend the luncheon event and accepted the award on Davis’ behalf. Guests at the event also included Jim Armington, a board member for DAPS and a Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassador.

DAPS award presentation Davis Phinney Foundation

The namesake of this annual DAPS award—Dr. Kenneth Cooper—has spent a lifetime advocating and demonstrating that exercise should be fundamental to every healthy lifestyle. A lifelong runner and proponent of exercise as a fundamental part of any healthy lifestyle, Dr. Kenneth Cooper is the founder and chairman of Cooper Aerobics, Chairman of six health and wellness companies, and Chairman Emeritus of The Cooper Institute 501(c)(3). Dr. Cooper inspired millions to exercise with the release of his best-seller, Aerobics. Today, Dr. Cooper revolutionizes health and fitness again with Get Cooperized, in which he challenges readers to follow “8 Healthy Steps” to live better.

Davis was unable to attend the Dallas event, but the presentation of the Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award award has been a performance in two acts, and the personal touch of the presentation had not been overlooked. In the summer of 2021, DAPS traveled to Colorado to present Davis with this award in person. The presentation was made at a small outdoor gathering in a park adjacent to Davis Phinney Foundation headquarters. Watch the video of the event below.

Davis Phinney’s personal history with the State of Texas is a long and happy one. Early in his professional cycling career, many of Davis’ significant racing victories came at the Tour of Texas, the USA’s premier cycling stage race where the nation’s best cyclists gathered every spring to race along the rolling roads of the Lone Star State. His arms were raised so many times in his signature victory salute that it could even be argued that Davis’ career really began in Texas.

Since those early years, the Texas/Davis Phinney connection has continued to flourish, and the Davis Phinney Foundation held The Victory Summit in Dallas in 2014, welcoming over 700 people to the event. The Davis Phinney Foundation has remained connected to the Dallas Parkinson’s community through Dallas Area Parkinson Society (DAPS) and community champions like Larry Christensen, Jim Armington, Dr. Mike Braitsch, and many others. It now seems that Davis’ career has come full circle with DAPS choosing to honor his contributions to the Parkinson’s community with the Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to Davis for work well done and a life well-lived.

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The Dallas Area Parkinson Society (DAPS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 by Clarice Dougherty to help her husband and others confront the daily challenges presented by Parkinson’s. Thousands of lives have been changed for the better because of Clarice’s mission and the dedication of many others who have followed her.

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