HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06211994 - X.1 r.
X. 1
THE BOARD OR SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on _June 21, 1994 by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Smith, Bishop, DeSaulnier, Torlakson, Powers
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
SUBJECT: Adjournment
The Official Meeting of the Board of Supervisors this
day is ADJOUNED in honor and tribute to the memory of Harold L.
Willson of Danville, who, although confined to a wheelchair for
46 years, worked quietly and persuasively for the rights of the
disabled in the Bay Area, and through whose efforts, commitment,
dedication, and persistence, made the Bay Area Rapid Transit
System a model of accessibility for the elderly and handicapped.
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of
an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: June 21, 1994
PHIL BATCHELOR,Clerk of the Board
of Supervisors and County Administrator
Deputy
Phil
The Board of Supervisors Contra Clerk ooffthe Board
and
County Administration Building �Ota County Administrator
S
651 Pine Street, Room 106 s7 (510)646-2371
Martinez, California 94553-1293 County
Tom Powers,1 st District
Jeff Smith,2nd District t!;i t=r•.
e
Gayle Bishop,3rd District
Mark DeSaulnier,4th District
Tom Torlaksan,5th District
Ea
f%.
STA COUNT
ADJOURNMENT OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ' MEETING JUNE 21, 1994
OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE MEMORY OF HAROLD L. WILLSON OF DANVILLE
REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN, SUPERVISOR TOM POWERS:
Last Friday, Harold L. Willson of Danville died. Mr. Willson was
not a well known elected official, high-powered business executive
or labor leader.; He was the longest living paraplegic in the
United States, having been injured in a coal mine accident in 1948
when he was 21 years old. When he died last Friday at the age of
68, Harold Willson had been confined to his wheelchair for more
than 46 years .
However, more important than simply having survived for 46 years in
a wheelchair, Harold Willson worked quietly and persuasively for
the rights of the disabled in the Bay Area. Of particular
significance is the fact that Harold Willson is responsible for the
fact that today the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system is fully
handicapped accessible.
When BART was approved by the voters in 1962, no provision was made
for handicapped access and no funds were approved for this purpose.
Without staging protest marches or drawing the media into his
campaign, Harold Willson worked quietly and professionally to
explain to the public, the BART Board of Directors and the State
Legislature the problem with having public transportation systems
which were not accessible to the handicapped.
After getting endorsements and indications of support from many
groups representing the elderly and handicapped, Mr. Willson had to
inform, educate and convince the BART Board of Directors of the
need to include the handicapped in their plans for construction of
this new public transportation system. By 1965, the BART Board of
Directors adopted a construction plan which would accommodate
elevators and other handicapped features providing the funds were
made available for this purpose.
A
In 1968, the BART Board advised the State Legislature that it would
be willing to include elevators and other handicapped features in
the BART system if additional funding were made available for this
purpose. Finally, on June 6, 1968, then-Governor Ronald Reagan
signed legislation which stated the intend of the State that all
facilities constructed with public funds be handicapped accessible.
The Legislature added $10 million to make handicapped accessibility
a reality for BART and Harold Willson's dream was realized. As a
result of Harold Willson' s commitment, dedication, and persistence,
BART is now a model of accessibility for the elderly and
handicapped.
BART now has elevators, special access gates which accommodate
wheelchairs, wide doors on BART cars, aisles which will accommodate
a wheelchair and other features which have not always been taken
into account in other public transportation systems .
All of this work on behalf of the handicapped was done as a
volunteer project by Harold Willson on his own time, after working
fulltime as an economic analyst for the Kaiser Permanente Medical
Care Program. . Mr. Willson was nationally renowned as an advocate
for the handicapped. He was invited to testify before Congress,
addressed conferences on issues relating to the handicapped
throughout the United States and published numerous articles on how
BART made its system handicapped accessible.
Mr. Willson leaves behind his wife, Patricia, and a married
daughter and two grandchildren.
I move that today' s Board meeting be adjourned out of recognition
for the accomplishments of Harold Willson and out of respect for
his memory and his lifelong achievements on behalf of the
handicapped.
2