Louis David Patrick, Jr. passed away on June 1 from complications of adenocarcinoma. He was born in Memphis in 1947 to Louis Patrick Sr. and Daisy Patrick. Louis contracted polio in 1950, just before the availability of the Salk vaccine. Although he lost the use of his legs, he was otherwise vigorous and independent until the last few months of his life. His education began at the Shrine School in Memphis, but he later attended Sherwood Elementary, then Overton High School and finally Memphis State University, where he met and married Sheila DeLozier in 1968 and earned his BA in 1975 with a major in History. He worked first for his half-brother Thomas McKenzie at Major Casket Company, then for the Department of Human Services, for Shelby State in the English Department, for the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development, as an Assistant Director for the Memphis Center for Independent Living and finally as an instructional designer for Federal Express.

Of all these work experiences, the one that was closest to his heart was with the Center for Independent Living. On October 1, 1985, Louis, Deborah Cunningham, Fred Dinwiddie, Nigel Shapcott, and Michael Heinrich signed articles of incorporation for Access All Areas, the declaration of independence for MCIL as an organization run and controlled by people with disabilities. Until then, what was to become MCIL was part of West Tennessee Easter Seals, which was not controlled by and for people with disabilities. Louis described that life-changing experience this way: "I had been passing''--living and working outside the doubly segregated world of disability--since I had started public school at Sherwood Junior High in 9th grade. Had the CIL not been a very, very different way of serving people with disabilities, I would never have been interested in working there. Deborah Cunningham set me on the road to understanding the history and strength of the independent living movement."

After retiring from Fed Ex in 2003, Louis became very active as a volunteer in many capacities, one of which was serving on the Board of Directors for MCIL, several times as president. In 2015 MCIL named him as "Volunteer of the Year" one of many awards he received during his tenure. At the same time, he also chaired two committees for the MACCD, Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities: the Memphis Transportation Advisory Committee (MTAC) and the Housing Community Access Committee (HCA). As a member of the Planning and Development Division in Memphis Housing and Community Development, he worked for the adoption by the City Council of a "visitability" ordinance to assure that new homes built in Memphis with public funding be more accessible to individuals using wheel chairs, not only as residents but also as guests. He was also very instrumental in solving problems of accessibility for the Liberty Bowl and helped push Memphis' City Engineering Department to create a Citizen's Pedestrian Advisory Council to improve sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities in Memphis, participated in a HUD investigation of fairness in renting apartments to individuals with disabilities, and submitted recommendations to the Overton Park Conservancy to improve accessibility in that park. Louis also worked on an Advisory Committee of Memphis' Engineering Department to form a "Pedestrian & Schools Safety Action Plan" and contributed to the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization's "Mobility Summit."

Louis also worked with the University of Tennessee's Physical Therapy Department to provide PT students with educational experiences, in a way, allowing students to "practice" on himself, teaching them about his own experience and arranging for them to spend a day in a wheel chair to understand the serious problems of barriers to mobility. The students became great fans of "Mr. Patrick" and he acquired a great fondness for them.

Louis was also involved in day to day Democratic Party politics, working for many years with state representative Mike Kernell. Although he was often disappointed with the workings of political institutions, Louis never wavered in his commitment to practical democracy, the idea that people must exercise power over their own lives and be engaged realistically and vigorously in a widening circle of community.

All these forms of advocacy and activism tell only a fraction of the story of who Louis Patrick was, however. He was fascinated with language, both in the forms of poetry and other literature and as part of human development, taking an interest at one time in children with delayed language development. Conversation was his staff of life. He studied the history of languages and came up with his own theory about the development of consonant patterns. He loved to discuss history and learn about his own and other people''s families and genealogy. He was recently engaged in preparing an essay on "the evolution of caring," about the roots of what makes humans human. He appreciated beauty in all its forms and his passion for the joy of life was infectious. He was a trusted friend and mentor, a source of strength to countless others through their own troubles and challenges. He was the epitome of the ideal gentleman, tender hearted and generous but firmly grounded in principles of justice and decency, profoundly worthy of the respect and affection with which so many people regarded this extraordinary man. He is survived by his aunt, Melrine Roleson, and a host of cousins and nieces and nephews who admired and loved him dearly.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Forest Hill Cemetery Mid-town at 1661 S. Elvis Presley Blvd. The memorial service will be at the same location on Friday at 2:00 p.m. Those who would like to make a contribution in lieu of flowers are encouraged to send donations to the Memphis Center for Independent Living at 1633 Madison Avenue, 38104. The Center has also invited guests to attend a reception at that location following the service.