The Stephan Florescu Papers contain materials from 1947-2001, documenting his active life and role in the disability rights movement, particularly in wheelchair athletics and barrier free access. The collection contains information on many local, state, and national level handicapped organizations and wheelchair athletics. The papers are arranged into three series: Personal/Biographical, Organizations, and Wheelchair Athletics.
Stefan Florescu was born on December 26, 1926 to a family of Romanian descent. He grew up in Davenport Iowa, attending St. Ambrose High School and one year at Saint Ambrose College, where he was a track and field star. From 1945 to 1947, Florescu served in World War II in Korea. When discharged, Florescu returned to St. Ambrose College and graduated in 1952 with a degree in sociology and teaching. Florescu had lined up a teaching job for the fall, but that summer, Florescu had an accident that changed his life. Diving from a pier, he broke his neck between the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. Florescu was now a quadriplegic. His recovery from the accident took two long years and the special care of a veteran's hospital, for at the time hospitals were not well equipped to handle quadriplegics.
As a quadriplegic Florescu's life changed completely. After his rehabilitation he became very involved in activities and organizations for the handicapped in the Detroit area. Florescu founded the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) chapter and became a member of the National Association for the Physically Handicapped (NAPH). In 1961 Florescu was the first quadriplegic to attend the National Wheelchair Games, where he competed with paraplegics, although he continually came in last because of his greater disability. Because of Florescu's attempts at competition, the National Wheelchair Games eventually developed categories of physical limitation so those handicapped could compete against others of the same abilities. In 1964 Florescu founded the Michigan Wheelchair Athletic Committee and in 1965, the first Michigan Wheelchair Games were held. Florescu continually participated in the games in races, swimming, and table tennis and became known as "Captain Wheels". In 1975 he was included in the Wheelchair Athletics Hall of Fame, and 1983 Florescu was entered into the St. Ambrose College Athletic Hall of Fame. As of the year 2000, Florescu has been involved in 40 consecutive years in wheelchair sports, with 39 consecutive years in national competition.
Florescu took a very active role in several disabled rights organizations, serving as the National Sports Director for the PVA from 1962-1965, and as the National President of the NAPH from 1966-1968. Florescu is an active writer and editor in the organization's newsletters and has constantly participated in many activities. Florescu worked with the Downriver Handicapped League and founded the Rolling Romanians, a sports club to support local wheelchair athletics. In the early 1970's, Florescu became a founder of the Detroit Architectural Barriers Committee, to encourage handicapped access to all buildings, the first such committee in the US. Because many communities in the Detroit area were not complying with federal regulation creating wheelchair access to public buildings and designated handicapped parking spaces, the committee and others brought suit against the communities to install access in 1981.
Florescu is very proud and loyal to his Romanian heritage, starting a Romanian Literature program in 1982, as well as his work with the Rolling Romanians, combining his passions of wheelchair sports and Romanian tradition. Florescu has continually worked to make his community a better place, including planning a local neighborhood association for Lincoln Park in the early 1980's. Florescu, an accomplished vocalist, won a national folk music competition sponsored by the Veterans Association in 1982. After his success at the festival, Florescu locally released an album of songs to inspire the paralyzed.
Florescu continued his involvement in many organizations and committees, including the Downriver Handicapped League, the Michigan Handicappers, as well as the Michigan PVA and NAPH throughout the 1980's until today. Florescu is a man dedicated to the well being and inspiration of others and the causes of disability rights.
