In Memory of David Fowler

1961- 2014

Dennis Borel and David Fowler at the 2012 Barbara Jordan Media Awards.
Two men, one standing, one seated in the power chair, show off a golden award.

Whenever meeting David Fowler, I touched his shoulder. He couldn’t feel it, nor could he lift his hand; rather he responded with a smile and nod to return the greeting. As the President of the Texas Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), he made it a point to work closely with the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD). David served as an exemplar of an advocate for all people with disabilities, all the while maintaining his personal vision for our veterans.

David believed that a truly accessible community was accessible in all its corners. His strongest partnerships with CTD involved legislation on adapted vehicles, voting accessibility, protection of Texas Accessibility Standards, and accommodations for hunters with disabilities. All of these public policy efforts were successful.

He was disgusted by the State’s claim of sovereign immunity to its ADA violations and made sure that PVA supported CTD’s legislation to waive sovereign immunity. To David, it was not just about veterans who acquired a disability during military service; it was simply unacceptable for his home state to deny protection from discrimination to any citizen with a disability.

David Fowler was one of twelve gold medal winners from the 2007 National Veterans Wheelchair Games to be featured on Cheerios ® cereal boxes. Above, he signs one with the aid of his wife, Marilou.
A woman holds a Cheerios box up to the face of a man, who holds a pen in his mouth to sign it.

He knew when to speak from the heart. His description of casting a private ballot by connecting his sip-and-puff device to a voting machine, more than 20 years after breaking his neck, crystalized why accessible voting technology is critically important. David’s testimony on what it would mean to him to be a full participant on a hunting trip was recognized as critical support for the accommodations for hunters with disabilities bill.

On a personal level, David was a class act and a regular guy. He’d tell a story, have a drink, or talk soccer and scouting. Able to poke fun at himself, he used the email name of "Puff Daddy." David found a complete partner in his wife, Marilou, who always accompanied him in his varied interests. If he benefitted from someone’s help, he saw his responsibility as not to return a favor, but to pay it forward and help the next person. He expected that person to pay it forward to someone else. To those who wonder how to acknowledge David’s remarkable life, may I suggest we all pay it forward? I bet that would be his choice.

Dennis Borel
CTD Executive Director
February 27, 2014

Read the PVA's Tribute to David Fowler.