I am a Special Ed teacher by education – I spent so much time working on the wheelchairs and positioning of my students, that without alot of thought, I gravitated to a job working for the ‘wheelchair guy’, seeing his pediatric patients. One of the first PTs I worked with suggested that I reach out to Simon at the University of Wisconsin outreach program. To my surprise, Simon responded to a letter I sent him and suggested that I attending the Seating Symposium in Memphis.
We met that next Symposium and readily developed a Mentor-Mentee relationship. He later opened his own company, RDI, providing custom seating systems. Simon (and MaryEllen) would evaluate the client need, the RDI team fabricated seating, working tandemly with DME companies who would provide the mobility base. I had by then gone to work for a Complex Rehab company in Chicago, and Simon asked me to provide the mobility bases for his clients in that area. Most of his ‘RDI clinics’ were held at schools; I started attending the clinics with him. Up to this point, I had basic knowledge of using standard tools. Working with Simon, I learned how to use a drill and a jigsaw. Simon was the ‘Midwest Seating Guru’ – he taught me so much about what my hands could teach me in understanding the individual anatomy and what postural support/forces would be necessary to impact postural alignment. Truly, this time with him in my early career was a gift!
Simon was always looking to ‘do better’ and to bring us all to a better level/’raising the bar’ – professionally, ethically, client outcomes — all of it! He wanted MORE for the clients we served and worked tirelessly within the industry. In hind-sight, I see that as he took on more and more responsibility within industry leadership, he often had me tag-along, and began pushing me to become more and more active: RESNA Sig-09, NRRTS Board of Directors, and then NRRTS President. His faith in me as a professional gave me the confidence to step into my own leadership roles throughout the years.

I always admired his relationship with and devotion to his wife Marcia and their daughter, Erica. Simon always took time to listen if I had either a career or a personal lament. He was the world’s best encourager, as well as at giving us a swift kick in the pants if we needed the motivation or correction I often wonder what Simon would think or do in many situations and continue to miss him dearly.

DANG! As time marches on, we can’t let folks forget that with his guidance, the NRRTS Board of Directors and registrants helped to facilitate the RESNA ATS/ATP and fund-raised the initial seed money to develop the certification exam! NRRTS RTSs developed competencies and course content for the exam, and continue to do so! What an impact he has had on our industry. I am ever grateful to have known Simon

I knew Simon indirectly, by reputation and from a distance. I lived and worked in western Montana and never had occasion to meet him personally. That is why I was surprised when I was told Simon had asked that the first “Clinically Speaking” article in Directions be about my nonprofit, Eleanore’s Project. Who, me? I had no idea that Simon knew anything about it, or my work. I guess that says something about who Simon was, and I wish I could have known him in person.

As I look back on my relationship with Simon, I can’t help but smile. He was always unfailingly kind to me. We first met in 1998 while working at The MED Group. His personality was larger than life, and I was young, eager, and admittedly naïve. Growing up in a small rural town in West Texas, I hadn’t seen much of the world. Even after graduating from the greatest university—Texas Tech—my experience outside West Texas was limited. MED and NRRTS opened that world for me. Our team traveled to the Abilities Expos in Chicago, Washington DC, and Anaheim, where we staffed booths.

Simon and Marcia taught me so much about the industry and, more importantly, about the people whose lives are shaped by illness or injury. They even treated me to dinner at Lowery’s Steakhouse in Chicago, where “Nurse Gritch” was our unforgettable waitress. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. Those memories with Simon and Mush still mean so much. In 1998, we staffed a booth in Washington DC for the Abilities Expo. In the evening, Simon took my husband and I on tour of Washington, DC. It was incredible, and this Texas girl loved every second. My first trip to Anaheim for the Abilities Expo included a visit to Disneyland (tickets courtesy of Simon) —somewhere I had never been. Simon, my husband, and I laughed endlessly on It’s a Small World. I was pregnant with my first son at the time, so I couldn’t do much, but even with the limitations, Disney was an absolute blast.

After Simon left MED, we stayed in touch. Neither of us could have predicted that I’d join NRRTS in 2002, and he would later become the executive director. When Judy Vance retired, Simon stepped into the role of executive director, and working with him was truly a gift. I learned so much about what NRRTS could and should be. We didn’t always agree, but we always found our way through it with mutual respect. Simon had a tremendous vision, and two of his biggest contributions were the annual CRT Conference (originally CELA) and the iNRRTS education program. He also encouraged me to rename NRRTS News to DIRECTIONS, and together we worked to make it a top-tier publication.

As I reflect on my career, I’m deeply grateful for Simon. I know he would be incredibly proud of iNRRTS today. Rest in peace, my dearest friend.

There are millions of Simon stories. Its hard to know where to begin.
Pictures tell a thousand stories, so here are some from one of Simon’s favorite indusrty events, CELA.
We are know that CELA morphed into other iterations, but to Simon, and to most of us ‘seasoned’ CRTS’, it will always bee CELA. Pictures of Simon and also pictures of the people that were important to him.
The history of Simon is also the history of our profession.

(Click images to enlarge them)

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I ran across this photo of a CELA (Continuing Education and Legislative Action) Event in DC. Simon conceived and developed this event to bring together the CRT Industry to deliver the message to Congress about the importance of access to appropriate technology for people with disabilities.
Most importantly, he understood the need to have the consumer, the person living the experience, deliver the message.
This photo of Simon was taken outside the Congressional offices with one of the consumer advocates.

Although the format has changed, a form of this event continues to this day. Because of Simon……

He was such a kind, humorous, and dedicated man. I love that both his wife and daughter continue to be friends.

There will never be another Simon!

Simon and I remained friends from that day forward. I learned so much from him, not just about being a professional supplier, but more about how our industry partners need to work together to improve outcomes for people who relied on our service.
It was a great honor (and daunting) to take over for Simon as ED at NRRTS.
He continued to mentor me and share his vision for our industry. He would always take my call!
Sometimes I don’t think we have made enough progress towards creating a more efficient system the way Simon envisioned.

But one thing is true: he was right about everything.

This is one my favorite photos of Simon.
We were in DC for a Board Retreat. Gerry was checking in to the hotel with his party on wheels. All those coolers were filled.
Take a look at the expression on SImon’s face.

At a Board Retreat, Simon was gifted a fancy purple hat (as you know, purple was his favorite color).
He gave me this pose for an unforgetable photo of him rocking his hat.
He pulled it off!