Robert G. Sampson*

Born with muscular dystrophy in 1925, Robert Sampson grew up in Chicago. When the Great Depression hit, his parents lost their home and struggled to make ends meet. It took them four years to save enough money to buy a wheelchair for young Sampson. His health problems forced him to start school several years late, but his teachers at the Jesse Spaulding School for the Handicapped encouraged him and challenged him to succeed.

"I was taught to fight back and never to accept '˜no' for an answer," said Sampson, who graduated at the top of his high school class.

Sampson hoped to be a lawyer and his strong academics earned him a scholarship. But long before there was a law to protect his rights, the school for which he applied told him he "couldn't be an attorney in a wheelchair" and revoked his scholarship. Determined to not let his disability stop him, Sampson put himself through Loyola University and DePaul Law School. He worked nights as a hotel clerk and switchboard operator, earning 40 cents an hour.

After law school, he worked eight years in Chicago's legal department. One day, United Airlines' founder and chairman, William A. Patterson, who had heard of Sampson's achievements, personally offered him the opportunity to join United's law department. Sampson accepted, quickly moving up to become vice president of facilities and properties for United's Central Division. He was named to the additional post of special assistant to the chairman in 1975.

During his career at United, Sampson led efforts to hire disabled people. He helped the airline come up with ways to better serve handicapped passengers. One project he started took inner-city children and disabled youngsters on a one-hour flight in a Boeing 727 to see the sights of Chicago by air. Each Wednesday throughout the summer, about 100 boys and girls flew aboard United Flight 001 for an unforgettable experience.

Sampson served on the President's Commission on Employment of the Handicapped under five presidents. He was also on the board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and participated in numerous Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethons. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from DePaul University Law School and received the Federal Aviation Administration's Distinguished Service Award for promoting aircraft accessibility for the disabled. He was especially proud of receiving United's highest honor, the William A. Patterson Award.

When asked about his Horatio Alger Award, Sampson said, "It is an honor to be a part of this organization. The work the Association is doing to help our nation's most deserving youth get a college education is outstanding. I am proud to be a part of that."

Sampson said his life had been blessed by having loving parents and a supportive wife and three children. He believed that if he hadn't been given a chance to do a job as good as or better than the "so-called able-bodied person," he would have spent most of his life in a nursing home. He said, "You have to believe in yourself and your abilities."