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WHEREAS, on May 30, 2006 Ruth Walter Brenyo sadly passed away; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Walter Brenyo a long term Board Member of the City-County Task Force on Disabilities is predeceased by her husband, George Brenyo who was also a prominent advocate for persons with disabilities, and is survived by two brothers, a sister-in-law, and two nephews; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Walter Brenyo a person with a disability, attended the D.T. Watson School for Children with Disabilities and in 1946 she graduated from South Hills High School and in 1948 graduated from Duff's Business School and went on to work in a clerical position for the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare and Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Walter Brenyo was a lifelong pioneer and leader in the community of people with disabilities to which she was a founding member of Pittsburgh Chapter One of Open Doors for the Handicapped, an organization which has worked to remove physical barriers such as curbs, steps, and narrow doorways that prevent people with disabilities from participating in community life; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Walter Brenyo and her late husband George Brenyo were also founders of the Magic Carpet Transportation Service, one of the first door-to-door wheelchair van services in the United States and the only one to be totally operated by volunteers with disabilities, funded by Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Walter Brenyo served on the first Mayor's Task Force on Accessibility during the Caligiuri administration to assure accessibility for the city's major development for people with disabilities and served on the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy of Pittsburgh, the Port Authority of Allegheny County Committee for Accessible Transportation, and was an associate member of Paralyzed Veterans of America and past recipient of the National Rehabilitation Hospital's Victory Award; Pennsylvania Handicapped Person of the Year Award and the UCP of Pittsburgh Gertrude Labowitz Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1993 Ruth and George Brenyo Award was established on behalf of persons with disabilities in honor of the Brenyos by the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living; and
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Council of the City of Pittsburgh wishes to extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ruth Walter Brenyo and may the hard work, achievements and dedication that Ruth Walter Brenyo exhibited throughout her career be recognized and serve as an example of the type of commitment to the betterment of the community that we should all strive to attain.