Gerry and Ann Cunningham papers, 1938-2011

From the 1940s-1970s, Gerry Cunningham (1922-2010) was a well-known outdoor equipment designer, founding his own line of outdoor products, Gerry Mountain Sports, and working for Outdoor Sports Industries and the Colorado Outdoor Sports Corporation. As a teenager, Gerry loved the outdoors and began making and selling outdoor equipment while still in high school. He married Ann Carman, also an avid mountaineer, and throughout their married life they hiked and camped all over North America, with expeditions from Maine to California and into Canada. After being drafted into the US Army in 1942, Gerry found himself in the 10th Mountain Division, where his frustrations with Army equipment evolved into a future career of creating lightweight but functional gear for enjoying the outdoors.

Gerry and Ann built a business out of designing and creating outdoor equipment, and the couple's twin sons and daughter inspired the design of the Gerry Kiddie Carrier, which allowed them to continue to explore the outdoors with young children in tow. Gerry was a creative problem solver whose creations included the triangular carabiner, the spring-loaded drawstring clamp, dual-use hiking pants with zip off legs, compact down sleeping bags and coats, and tents with exterior flexible poles that could withstand high winds. His lightweight gear was used for notable expeditions, such as the 1953 K2 expedition, Sir Edmund Hillary's first ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953, and the first American summit of Everest in 1962.

Gerry and Ann moved from Colorado to Arizona in 1973, where Gerry spent time as the Verde Valley School headmaster, Director of Energy Programs for the State of Arizona, and he and Ann built an off-the-grid earth-sheltered dome house outside of Tucson. Their interests also included sailing, particularly around the Sea of Cortez (now called California Gulf) where Gerry continued his efforts of improving gear and charting moorages, making the great outdoors more accessible to anyone with a desire to experience it.