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TEXTILE RESEARCH

CHARLES FROELICHER, Lucerne, Switzerland. He is the father of four children, the most recent born in July. He is a U.S. citizen and an army veteran. Charles spent the first part of his rehabilitation in Switzerland. He came to Goldwater Hospital in New York for a year. Then, he returned to Switzerland and his former job -- doing technical research in textiles for Viscose Suisse. He works from 9-12 at the plant studying technical literature and dictating excerpts into a foot-operated dictaphone. At home in the afternoons he uses the Thompson abdominal respirator and a rocking bed at night. He is the Swiss agent for the Thompson respirators. He and his wife, Liesse, an Italian girl, give English lessons. He is now starting an employment agency for importing domestics (see The Mail Box).

ENGINEER-INVENTOR

HERBERT MERRILL, Falmouth, Maine. Age 33, polio 1953. Electronic design engineer. Herb has his own company, the Down East Electronics Mfg. Co. He commercially produces the Switch-o-Matic, a push button control to operate lights, telephone, TV, tape-recorder, rocking bed, radio, etc. He has done quite a bit of consulting work but finds travel poses a problem in securing new business. But he advises other engineers to go ahead if they have contacts. Herb says, "It is nearly impossible to get rich on a clever idea. The self-made inventor can succeed only if he can peddle his idea to a large company. The small manufacturing business should produce for the local market or subcontract to a larger firm." Herb, from his rocking bed, directs an assistant in assembling his projects. With some movement in left leg and a number of push buttons on the foot board, he can control 60 odd functions. He is a ham radio operator. In addition to the Switch-o-Matic, he has designed the Safety Smoke and a remote controlled tape recorder. "Believe me, I an busy pushing buttons."

REAL ESTATE BROKER

BUD KENNY, vice-president and treasurer of the Kenny Reel Estate Co., Cleveland, O., got polio instead of a degree in college. This was over 20 years ago, and today, the Kenny Co. has two offices and a full time staff of 24.

With the aid of two students who drive and assist him, Bud makes daily visits to new listings. His paralysis is almost complete. He uses a headset and a telephone which he can dial. He can use his fingers for printing, but not for script.

With so many years of experience as a polio, Bud has some definite ideas about adjusting to immobility. "First, have a goal that is attainable, so that you won't give up. Have a real knowledge of your product and an enthusiasm for it. In the real estate business, the competition is rugged. You will need persistence and ingenuity. A pitfall in any business is trying to go too fast. Decide what you are going to do, even if you work a year without seeming to get anywhere. Don't change. Keep plugging."

Bud feels that a homebound handicapped person could be useful to an established real estate office by checking lists, studying the market, contacting owners, following up customers. He could become familiar with legal phases of the various states; understudy a broker; do research; check statistics; talk with banks on appraisals and make appointments. Bud thinks that it takes at least six months to become familiar enough with an agency to be really useful. The State Board of Real Estate Examiners will arrange for home study and also administer tests at home.

Bud's latest venture is as treasurer of a new home construction company. The most exciting news in the Kenny household centers around the baby that Bud and his wife are expecting.

DON KOLLAR, 6' 6 1/2"tall, carrot-topped, with a voice of persuation -sic-, sells securities for Suburban Securities Co., of Cleveland, O. As a substitute for experience, he took the Investment and Banking Course from the University of Chicago by correspondence. Now, he has his state license and is registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Don got his first boost from Anton Potokar, head of Suburban Securities, who became interested in him because one of his children had had polio. Potokar says, "Don's record tops all other registered representatives in our organization and he has been averaging one new client every two days."

Don has become a voracious reader with a homemade reading board, using a mouth stylus with a hard rubber bit to turn the pages. He uses an electric typewriter, but finds it not too successful for making notes. He prefers to tape record his orders and notes. (See his foot-operated recorder on page 14).

He has built his clientele by steady, hard work. Actually, his homeboundness (he uses full-time aid) is a great advantage because he is more available to his clients than other securities salesmen. He does much of his work at nights and over the weekends, when he meets with his clients to discuss financial objectives and offers investment advice.

"My big job," says Don, "is showing people, not acquainted with stocks, how they can afford to invest small amounts and how to take advantage of fluctuations in prices. Lack of confidence is the big problem, that is, lack of confidence on the buyer's part -- when stocks go down."