William Rodgers Caltrider, Jr. – 50th Reunion Essay

William Rodgers Caltrider, Jr.

3624 Rexmere Rd.

Baltimore, MD 21218

wcaltrid@ix.netcom.com

443-996-5842

Education: BA, MA

Career: Consultant

Avocations: Reading, Travel, Non-profits

College: Davenport

Over the past 25 years, I’ve committed both my professional and personal life to making a difference in the area of alcohol and drug addiction, both on a national and global scale. In 1994 I founded the Center for Alcohol and Drug Research and Education (CADRE), whose mission was to provide expertise on policy development and program implementation in the areas of addiction prevention and treatment.

It was only when, in a moment of grace, I could admit defeat, admit that I had no control over alcohol, that my life turned around. I knew then that I had to rely on others, to depend on their strength, and ultimately, and more importantly, on a higher power apart from myself which I could not adequately describe. My personal high goal has been a daily, active, and purposeful commitment to being sober each day for the past 33 years.

Organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes, the center established cooperative and consultative relationships with international organizations such as the United Nations and World Health Organization, national and state governments, and also with a wide network of NGOs. I went to 17 countries spanning four continents. I’ve experienced many amazing adventures to tell.

In 1990, I went to the Soviet Union as a consultant. Over a period of seven days, a document was created and signed by three priests, Russian Orthodox, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic, the Vice Minister of Health, and myself. This document addressed the state of alcoholism in the Soviet Union, the first time in 900 years that alcoholism was ever openly acknowledged.

On 9/11, I was eating breakfast in the Senate Office building, when unbelievable chaos and terror erupted. An experience I’ll never forget.

On August 9, 2006, I suffered a catastrophic stroke while working late at night in my office. I lay there awake, unable to move or call 911, essentially “frozen in time” until the next morning. The “golden moment” was gone. I was in a total of seven facilities receiving care ranging from ICU care through to outpatient rehab. My 33 cousins prayed for me every day. MRI revealed that the stroke damaged 50 percent of the right side of my brain. Seven months later I returned to my home for the first time. Through intensive rehab and hard work, I was able to return to my productive life. In fact, I was able to travel to Vienna and to the White House. Hopkins outpatient rehab has opened up opportunities for me to participate in several research studies, since I continue to see improvements, more than 11 years later.

I’m a miracle.