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December 30, 2007

Ladies & Gentlemen:

While there have been many a notable land speed racers of the male type, there have been rather few of the female type over the past several decades. This article features one of those rare female record holders; Kitty O'Neil.

Retiree leaves stunt life for S.D.

Deafness may have been asset, she says

RUSS KEEN

Aberdeen American News

April 4, 2005

EUREKA - Kitty O'Neil has jumped from a 12-story building and from a helicopter 15 stories above ground without parachutes, landing on air bags or in water.

She holds the women's record for fastest travel on land: 618 mph in a 48,000-horsepower rocket car.

"It was a beautiful experience," said the Texas native, who is enjoying retirement in Eureka. At that speed, the world flew by like a series of beautiful, undulating waves, she said. But as for those G-forces: "Ouch," she said.

She held her breath for three minutes inside a stunt suit and 50-pound helmet as the outsides were engulfed in flames. Her name is in the Guinness Book of World Records for several accomplishments as a Hollywood stuntwoman. She has been featured in Time and other magazines.

But O'Neil, 59 and now retired, said she never enjoyed the attention. "I don't like to brag. I am a very private person," she said at her home overlooking Lake Eureka. "I love the peace here."

O'Neil said her career was born partly because more conventional employers didn't want to hire her because she is deaf. She lost her hearing at 4 months, when she contracted measles, mumps and smallpox simultaneously.

She decided she would get even with those who spurned her by excelling in a sport or adventure, she said. She also took up driving motorcycles, which fed her appetite for daring feats.

She no longer gives interviews to national media and no longer attempts feats of daring. O'Neil said her favorite activities these days are flower gardening, cooking for parties and having fun with the computer she and her longtime companion, Raymond Wald, got about two weeks ago.

She and Wald met in 1989 in Elk River, Minn., and moved to Eureka in 1993. Wald grew up in the Eureka area.

Lovers of action flicks saw O'Neil in "Smokey and the Bandit"; she drove the lead car that jumped over all the trucks. Other movies and TV shows in which she's appeared include "Police Woman," "Wonder Woman," "Baretta," "B.J. and the Bear," "Bionic Woman," "Blues Brothers," Airport '77," "Foul Play" and "Cliffhangers."

She also performed stunts for the made-for-television movie about her life, "Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story." When the film aired, she was surprised to find about half of it inaccurate, she said.

Deafness may have been an asset, O'Neil said, because it allowed her to concentrate without distraction from the loud noises that often accompany stunts. She suffered no serious injuries during her stunt career except that one of her fingers is bent.

The daring deeds never frightened her, O'Neil said, although she retired in 1982, in part, because some close friends had been killed while performing stunts.

The vehicle Kitty O'Neil drove.

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