III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 321 

Commemorating the life, achievements, and contributions of Alan A. Reich. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2005 

Mr. DEWINE (for himself and Mr. HARKIN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the life, achievements, and contributions of 

Alan A. Reich. 

Whereas Alan Reich devoted his life to civic involvement and 

efforts to improve the quality of life for individuals with 

disabilities; 

Whereas Alan Reich was born in Pearl River, New York, was 

a well-respected and beloved member of his family, and 

served as an inspirational figure in the disability community; 

Whereas Alan Reich— 

(1) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1952, 

where he was an all-American track and field athlete; 

(2) received a Master’s degree in Russian literature 

from Middlebury College in 1953; 
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(3) was awarded a diploma in Slavic languages and 

Eastern European studies from the University of Oxford; 

(4) received an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 

1959; and 

(5) was a brilliant linguist who spoke 5 languages; 

Whereas Alan Reich served in the Army from 1953 to 1957 

as an infantry officer and Russian language interrogation 

officer in Germany, and was named as a member of the 

United States Army Infantry Officer Candidate School 

Hall of Fame; 

Whereas Alan Reich married Gay Forsythe Reich, and shared 

with her 50 years of marriage and a deep commitment 

to each other and their three children, James, Jeffery, 

and Elizabeth; 

Whereas from 1960 to 1970, Alan Reich was employed as an 

executive at Polaroid Corporation when, at age 32, he became a quadriplegic due to a swimming accident, and 

used a wheelchair as a result of his injury; 

Whereas although Alan Reich was told he would not drive or 

write again, he relearned both skills and returned to work 

at Polaroid Corporation; 

Whereas Alan Reich— 

(1) served in the Department of State from 1970 to 

1975 as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs; 

(2) later served as Director of the Bureau of EastWest Trade for the Department of Commerce; 

(3) was named the President of the United States 

Council for the International Year of Disabled Persons in 

1978; and 
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(4) was the first person to address the United Nations General Assembly from a wheelchair when the 

United Nations opened the International Year of the Disabled in 1981; 

Whereas in 1982, Alan Reich transformed the Council for the 

International Year of Disabled Persons into the National 

Organization on Disability, an organization that actively 

seeks on national, State, and local levels full and equal 

participation for individuals with disabilities in all aspects 

of life; 

Whereas Alan Reich— 

(1) founded the Bimillennium Foundation in 1984 

to encourage national leaders to set goals aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities for the year 

2000; 

(2) served as past Chairman of the People-to-People 

Committee on Disability; and 

(3) worked to advance research in regeneration of 

the central nervous system as Chairman of the Paralysis 

Cure Research Foundation and as President of the National Paraplegia Foundation; 

Whereas Alan Reich, who used a wheelchair for 43 years, led 

an effort that raised $1,650,000 to add the statue of 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair to the memorial of the former President in Washington, D.C.; 

Whereas Alan Reich stated in 2001, ‘‘The unveiling is a 

major national moment, the removal of the shroud of 

shame that cloaks disability. The statue will become a 

shrine to people with disabilities, but it will also inspire 

everyone to overcome obstacles. When you see the memorial that follows the statue, what will be in your mind is 

that he did all this from a wheelchair.’’; 
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Whereas in July 2005, Alan Reich received the George H. W. 

Bush Medal, an award established to honor outstanding 

service under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

(42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); 

Whereas Alan Reich is survived by his wife, partner, and best 

friend, Gay, their 2 sons James and Jeffery, their daughter Elizabeth, and 11 grandchildren; and 

Whereas Alan Reich passed away on November 8, 2005, and 

the contributions he made to his family, his community, 

and his Nation will not be forgotten: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life, achievements, and contribu3 tions of Alan Reich; 

4 (2) extends its deepest sympathies to the family 

5 of Alan Reich for their loss of this great and gen6 erous man; and 

7 (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the 

8 Senate to transmit a copy of this resolution to the 

9 family of Alan Reich. 

Æ