The Academy's Paul E. Leimkuehler Online Learning Center (OLC) was named to honor the legacy of the late Paul E. Leimkuehler, who founded what was then called the Leimkuehler Limb Company in 1948.

Paul was an amputee from the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and a strong proponent of lifelong learning. He frequently lectured doctors and nurses on prosthetic advances and shared his knowledge with colleagues, referral sources, and patients.

One of ABC's early certified prosthetists, Paul, started PEL Supply Company to provide quality prefabricated parts to other O&P facilities.

He was active in what was then known as the Orthopaedic Appliance and Limb Manufacturers Association (OALMA). He was its president when the name was changed to the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) in 1959. He also was president of the Ohio Rehabilitation Association, president of the American Board of Certification, and was appointed to the Prosthetics Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

Paul was an accomplished alpine skier who designed outrigger poles to keep his balance. He purposely didn't patent his design and allowed others to copy it. He was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame, the National Disabled Skier Hall of Fame, and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. His granddaughter, Katie Leimkuehler, produced a documentary, "Fresh Tracks," to chronicle his life and the accomplishments of other amputee skiers.

Paul's sons, Bill, Robert, and Jon, also became prosthetists. Grandson Paul E. Leimkuehler, LCPO, works with his father Bill, LCPO, at the Leimkuehler Orthotic and Prosthetic Center with offices in Amherst, Sandusky, and No. Olmsted, Ohio.

Robert, LCPO, owns and operates Leimkuehler Inc. in Cleveland. The family business includes wife, Rosie, and sons Greg, LCPO, and Jim, Business Manager.

Before his retirement, Jon, CPO, owned Union Orthotics & Prosthetics Co. in Pittsburgh, now operated by his three children, Peter, CPO, FAAOP; Ann Moss, and Laura Mullin, CPO.

Paul's daughter, Paulette Vaughn, ran PEL Supply as executive vice president, co-owned with her brothers until they sold the company in 2013.