Summer 2007

A Helping Hand

Donor and Student Won't Let Cerebral Palsy Block Careers in Law

For Daniel Bartz, getting the Plymell scholarship “was an amazing affirmation for what I was about to do—move 2,500 miles from home to start law school in Eugene.” That’s a big move for anyone. But for Bartz, who has cerebral palsy, it means overcoming additional barriers.

“More than anything else, being a law student with a disability requires flexibility and perseverance,” says Bartz, who uses a motorized wheelchair to get around and has difficulty speaking and moving his hands. “Almost everything takes me longer to accomplish than other people. As such, I must allot more time to accomplish tasks and be willing to seek alternative solutions when ‘the usual way of doing things’ doesn’t work out so well.” Bartz is getting help from someone who faces the same challenges.

Alice Plymell, J.D. ’63, a Eugene attorney with cerebral palsy, established the Wade and Elsie Marler Plymell Scholarship in honor of her parents. “I thought about it for many, many years,” she says, “and I asked ‘What can I do from where I sit to make the world a better place for the disabled?’ And it always came back to education.”

“I knew I wanted to be an attorney in the eighth grade, and I never wavered,” remembers Plymell, who grew up on her family’s farm north of Ontario, Oregon. “I thought it was something I could do using my brain, using my mental capacity, as opposed to my physical capacity, which wasn’t very great.”

Plymell graduated from California State University–Sacramento in 1960 and then came to the UO to study law. “It was hard,” she remembers. “But I really enjoyed my time in Fenton Hall. I was not sure Dean Hollis would let me in because I didn’t know what he would think about a disabled student coming to the University of Oregon School of Law, but he didn’t seem to have any qualms whatsoever about letting me in.”

After graduating in 1963, Plymell became one of the first women to practice law in Eugene and built a successful practice, despite the physical obstacles. Daily activities that able-bodied people take for granted require extra time and careful planning for Plymell. Elevator buttons are unreachable (her solution: carry a stick), doors are too heavy to open, and parking spaces are far away.

What’s her greatest challenge? “Selling myself to able-bodied individuals,” says Plymell. “People want to be as far away from disability as they can be. They think ‘I am not affected with a disability, so therefore it doesn’t touch and concern me.’”

In addition to her work in estate planning and probate law, Plymell works for the rights of the disabled and seniors and volunteers her time and expertise for several organizations. She says it’s important to note that Bartz, who graduated summa cum laude from Wright State University, was recruited because of his disability.

“I think it’s going to take a lot of disabled attorneys to advocate for the rights of the disabled to make a change in our country,” says Plymell. As the first recipient of the Plymell scholarship, that’s exactly what Bartz plans to do.

“My long-term goal for coming to law school is to get involved in civil rights advocacy,” says Bartz. “I have always been drawn to work that harnesses the power of the law to protect minority rights and give voice to those on society’s margins.

“Meeting Alice Plymell was an amazing experience. I spoke with her about her experiences in pursuing a legal career. Alice shared some of the challenges she encountered, both as a person with a disability, and as a woman living in an era when women weren’t given the opportunities they were certainly due. I draw great strength and inspiration from Alice’s example, and will strive to give as much to my community as she has.”

—Ed Dorsch