Everyone Matters

Why, after a career as an educator and late in life, did you suddenly decide to become an author?

It goes back to my son, Ricky. I wrote the first book for him somewhere around 1980. So I wrote it a long time ago but just published it last fall, along with two more recent books. They are all about children with disabilities who contribute in important ways. The theme of all of them is that everyone matters.

Why is that theme important to you?

Ricky was born in April 1960. That December, my first wife, Joan, and I began to notice developmental delays, physical for the most part. It took a long time but we eventually got a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. He has both physical and cognitive impairments. As he got older, he began going to school and finally, in the mid-1970s, we got him into the Campus School at BC, which is a fabulous school. It was spectacular, especially because of a wonderful teacher named Jean Gumpert. She taught Ricky how to read. He was probably sixteen or seventeen. It was a miracle. Too often, people like Ricky get overlooked. They shouldn’t, because everyone has something to contribute.

What are your books about?

The first one is called The Legend of the Two Santas. It takes place on Christmas Eve, and Santa is making his trip around the world. But he slips on a roof and falls down. A little boy named Rick sees him, and rolls his wheelchair outside to help. But wheelchairs don’t move well in snow and Rick falls out of the chair. So he and Santa help each other. Santa’s afraid he won’t be able to deliver presents now, and Rick says, “Well, I can help you, Santa.” At first Santa doesn’t think he can actually help, but he ends up giving him a Santa suit, and Ricky drives the sleigh. And they finish delivering the toys.

How did your son react to the story?

I gave it to him as a Christmas present. I read it to him, and he was very, very excited. Because to this day he loves Christmas more than anything. Now that I’ve published it, you can see on the cover the two Santas, and Ricky is the little one, with his wheelchair in the back of the sleigh. The second book is The Year the Easter Bunny Got Lost, and it’s about a blind girl—I dedicated it to my daughter, Susan, though she is not disabled. And the third book is How the Deaf Boy Saved Independence Day. The message in all of them is that people with disabilities can make a difference.

How is Ricky doing these days?

He’s doing great. He’s sixty-four and lives in a staffed apartment. He was just here visiting me. You know, in 1979, he was selected for the United States Special Olympic Team. I think it was the third-ever Special Olympics, in New York, near the Canadian border. Ricky’s event was wheelchair racing. He was nineteen years old and he won a silver and a bronze medal.

You wrote the Santas book for him more than forty years ago. Why did you decide to publish it and the others last year?

I wanted to make sure I published them before I died, because at this age, you never know. But I also felt like their message was really important at this moment in time. We had a long period of progress. In 1948, the military was desegregated. Schools were integrated in 1954. The War on Poverty was announced in 1964. And then in 1975 we had PL 94-142, which gave rights to handicapped people. And then Title IX prohibited sex-based discrimination in schools. And now we’re taking a look at things such as gender issues. So everyone matters. But it took a long time and a lot of incremental progress. But we haven’t been as polarized as we are right now since the Civil War. There are people today who don’t believe everyone matters. It feels like not only has that progress been arrested, it’s being rolled back. So, “everyone matters” is an urgent message.

What have you learned about parenting?

Parenting is just like teaching. You have to take people where they are. Ricky is handicapped, so you have to accept and account for that handicap as you move forward with him. On the other hand, Susan went to Boston College, has a master’s degree. They’re different and you work with them from the perspective of, this is my child. I am responsible. And I want to make sure that he or she has the best possible life. Just like in teaching, you have to meet people where they are.