I was beyond sad to hear this afternoon that Jeff Erlanger had passed away over the weekend at the age of 36.
Jeff, a native of Madison, Wisconsin and a quadriplegic since not long after birth, was a camp counselor of mine at OSRUI in Wisconsin for a couple of years in the early '90s, doing a job that I would later learn was difficult enough even for the able-bodied. When he was a child, Jeff once appeared on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and ended up speaking at Mr. Rogers' memorial service in 2003. He later ran for Madison's city council and was active in a wide variety of community organizations, including Madison's Commission on People With Disabilities. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz issued a statement about Jeff's passing on Monday.
From my experience with Jeff at camp, I can tell you he had enough energy and enthusiasm for a whole staff of counselors. He will most certainly be missed by all who knew him.