By Harold Flickinger ’07

Proof of his dedication is summed up by the award Frederick Weintraub ’63 received that places him in rather elite company.

Even after working more than thirty years in the field of special education, Frederick Weintraub was surprised.

The latest recipient of the J.E. Wallace Wallin Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award said, “I was asleep when I got the call about the Wallin Award (a consequence of living on the West Coast). I was quite surprised and honored. For special educators, it is something you dream of but never expect. To receive a recognition for your career that has only been given to forty of our field’s most distinguished professionals is truly humbling. Ship taught and prepared me well.”

Coming from Philadelphia, Frederick’s arrival in Shippensburg in 1960 was quite a culture shock, but “it taught me an important life lesson to judge people by their character not their traditions or beliefs.” After starting as a history major with a minor in speech, Frederick graduated in 1963 with a degree in education. He spent the next 30 years with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) whose work has laid the foundations and set standards for special education.

Frederick was involved in the first court case that battled for disabled students’ rights, Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This was followed by his active participation in getting Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act passed in 1973. His success in this endeavor can be seen at every educational institution including Ship. He explained things like “the ramps, curb cuts, bathrooms, water fountains, [and the] student support services that enable students with disabilities to attend Shippensburg are a product of that law.”

This triumph was followed in 1975 when Frederick lobbied for PL94-142, “The Education of All Handicapped Children’s Act.” Eventually this federal law would guarantee disabled children across the country a free education and provisions for services and support.'

After 30 years, Frederick left the CEC and moved to California. Currently he is working with the Los Angeles school district, second largest in the nation, to improve conditions for the disabled students enrolled there. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Dr. Lynne Cook, dean of California State University’s School of Education. He has two daughters and two granddaughters.