H. Res. 586
In the House of Representatives, U.S., 
December 19 (legislative day, December 18), 2005.
Whereas Alan A. Reich was a well respected and loved mem-
ber of his family and an inspirational figure in the dis-
ability community, whose life was devoted to civic involve-
ment and efforts to improve the quality of life for individ-
uals with disabilities; 
Whereas Alan Reich was born in Pearl River, New York; 
Whereas Alan Reich graduated from Dartmouth College in 
1952, where he was an all-American track and field ath-
lete, received a Master’s degree in Russian literature 
from Middlebury College in 1953, along with a diploma 
in Slavic languages and Eastern European studies from 
the University of Oxford, and received an M.B.A. from 
Harvard University in 1959; 
Whereas Alan Reich was a brilliant linguist, who spoke 5 lan-
guages; 
Whereas Alan Reich served in the United States Army from 
1953 to 1957, as an infantry officer and Russian lan-
guage interrogation officer in Germany, and was named 
a member of the United States Army Infantry Officer 
Candidate School Hall of Fame; 
Whereas Alan Reich married his best friend and partner in 
life, Gay Forsythe Reich; they shared 50 years of mar-
•HRES 586 EH 
riage and were deeply committed to each other and their 
three children—James, Jeffrey, and Elizabeth; 
Whereas Alan Reich was employed from 1960 to 1970 as an 
executive at Polaroid Corporation when, at age 32, he be-
came a quadriplegic due to a swimming accident which 
required him to use a wheelchair; 
Whereas, while 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 joined the State Department from 1970 
to 1975, as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs; 
Whereas Alan Reich then served as Director of the Bureau 
of East-West Trade for the Department of Commerce, 
before he was named the President of the United States 
Council for the International Year of Disabled Persons in 
1978; 
Whereas, in this position, Alan Reich was the first wheelchair 
user to address the United Nations General Assembly 
when it opened the International Year of the Disabled in 
1981; 
Whereas, in 1982, Alan Reich transformed the Council into 
the National Organization on Disability, an organization 
that is active on a local, state, and national level in seek-
ing full and equal participation for people with disabilities 
in all aspects of life; 
Whereas Alan Reich founded the Bimillennium Foundation in 
1984, to encourage leaders of nations worldwide to set 
year 2000 goals aimed at improving the lives of people 
with disabilities;
•HRES 586 EH 
Whereas Alan Reich also served as Chairman of the People-
to-People Committee on Disability, Chairman of the Pa-
ralysis Cure Research Foundation and 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 
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair to the 
former President’s Memorial in Washington, DC, for rea-
sons that he best expressed himself at the unveiling of 
the statue: ‘‘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 disabil-
ities, but it will also inspire everyone to overcome obsta-
cles. When you see the memorial that follows the statue, 
what will be in your mind is that he did all this from a 
wheelchair.’’; 
Whereas Alan Reich received the George H.W. Bush Medal 
in July of 2005, established to honor outstanding service 
under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; 
Whereas Alan Reich, through his leadership in the disability 
community, encouraged millions of Americans with dis-
abilities to overcome obstacles to lead more independent 
and successful lives; 
Whereas Alan Reich is survived by his wife, partner, and best 
friend, Gay, their two sons James and Jeffrey, 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
•HRES 586 EH 
(1) honors the life, achievements, and contributions 
of Alan A. Reich; and 
(2) extends its deepest sympathies to the family of 
Alan Reich for the loss of a great and generous man. 
Attest:
Clerk.