In Memoriam
      
      Frank Bowe, an RDS Distinguished Fellow, passed away on August 21, 2007, after a brief illness.  He was a Professor of Counseling, Research, Special Education and Rehabilitation (CRSR) in Hofstra University’s School of Education and Allied Human Services in Hempstead, Long Island, New York.
      
	Frank was one of the first national disability rights leaders I met in the early 1980s, when he came to Norman, Oklahoma to participate in an independent living conference. He was a gracious man, who certainly inspired me by his leadership, advocacy, and gentle way of being in the world.  Frank promoted cross-disability advocacy, which fit in well with Oklahoma’s disability politics.  He was one of the forces behind the 504 demonstrations across the United States, in his role as the Director of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities.  The most successful of these protests was in San Francisco in 1977.  The 2nd most successful was the one he led in Washington, D.C.  Unlike the folks in San Francisco’s federal building, the Washington demonstrators were denied food and forced to disperse.
  
	Bowe's 1978 book, Handicapping America:  Barriers to Disabled People, was the first disability rights book I ever read.  It was one of the few publications about disability I could find in the Norman, Oklahoma card catalog (for those who remember those). 
	
	Frank and I communicated over the years and he enthusiastically joined RDS as a Distinguished Fellow from the very beginning of its journey.  Tributes to Frank from students, former students, and colleagues may be found at: http://www.hofstra.edu/home/News/PressReleases/082307_frankbowe.html

Steven E. Brown

Rolf Bergfors, an RDS Distinguished Fellow, passed away in May 2006 at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden. A man of dry wit and fierce commitment to the principle of self-determination, in his own life and professional interests, Rolf was the force behind the creation of the Gothenburg Cooperative for Independent Living (GIL) and one of the leaders in the Swedish Independent Living Movement. Rolf was co-founder of the Independent Living Institute and served on its board since its beginning. His friend and colleague, and RDS Distinguished Fellow Adolf Ratzka of Stockholm, noted that 100 Movement people came to Rolf’s funeral in Gothenburg to commemorate him, and which led to a meeting to reevaluate Sweden’s independent living movement. 

Steven E. Brown and Adolf Ratzka