Dwight D. Guilfoil Jr. (November 19, 1922 — March 4, 1989) was an American businessman and advocate for workers with disabilities.
Early life and education
Guilfoil was born in
Chicago, Illinois. His father was an engineer and a veteran of World War I. The younger Dwight graduated from
Lane Technical High School in Chicago in 1940. He attended the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
and worked as a commercial artist before he enlisted in the
Army Air Corps in 1942. He was training to be an aerial reconnaissance photographer in Texas when he contracted both
poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...
and
spinal meningitis. Guilfoil was discharged from the Army in 1945 after several years in a military hospital in Arkansas.
Career
After the war, Guilfoil and other disabled veterans founded Paraplegics Manufacturing Inc., or PAMCO, an electronics assembly plant in
Bensenville, Illinois
Bensenville is a village located near O'Hare International Airport in DuPage County, Illinois, with a portion of the town in Cook County. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 18,813.
First known as Tioga, it was formally established ...
which employed up to a hundred physically disabled workers at its peak. "We decided from the start that we were not going to weave rugs or make baskets, or indulge in any of the usual workshop enterprises," Guilfoil recalled. Guilfoil was the company's president and public face, frequently giving talks or writing articles advocating for disabled workers. PAMCO's customers were often government agencies, and Guilfoil made a point of mentioning the factory's contributions to the space program. "Our workers so far have contributed parts for most of the space probes and we expect to do more." His essay "Let's Stop 'Handicapping' Americans" was widely syndicated in 1960.
Guilfoil served on the
President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, and on the Illinois State Commission on Employment of the Handicapped. He was also national president of the
Paralyzed Veterans of America in 1959, and of the National Paraplegia Foundation in 1963. For his work, Guilfoil was recognized as one of the
"Ten Outstanding Young Men of the United States" by the
Junior Chamber of Commerce
The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...
in 1957, and he won the President's Trophy for "Handicapped American of the Year" in 1960. He chaired a Chicago-area chapter of
Easter Seals in 1961.
Guilfoil is also credited to being the first man to provide the idea of Handicapped Parking spaces to President Richard Nixon, who also started a close working relationship thereafter with Guilfoil.
Personal life
Guilfoil was married to Margaret Cullerton in 1940, and was the father of eight children. He was named "Chicago Father of the Year" in 1953, and "Mr. Illinois" that same year. He was active in his local community, as commander of his local
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
post, and a member of his local
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
.
Guilfoil was widowed in July 1988, and died in March 1989, at a nursing home in
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...
. He was 66 years old.
Gary Marx, "Dwight Guilfoil, 66, Manufacturing Exec," ''Chicago Tribune'' (March 6, 1989).
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References
External links
Video clip of Guilfoil
receiving the "Handicapped American of the Year Award" from Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guilfoil, Dwight D., Jr.
American disability rights activists
Businesspeople from Chicago
1922 births
1989 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
American activists with disabilities