Richard William Pfeiffer was an American LGBT rights activist.[1][2] He coordinated the Chicago Pride Parade for fifty years and contributed to gay activist organizations.
Biography
Pfieffer was born on May 14, 1949.[3] Pfeiffer died October 6, 2019, at the age of 70.[3] At the time of his death, he had been with husband Tim Frye for 48 years.[4][5] Pfieffer's funeral was held at Drake & Son Funeral Home in West Edgewater.[3][5]
Career
During his career, Pfeiffer was a volunteer marshal at Chicago Pride Parade from 1971 to 1973 and coordinated the parade from 1974 for fifty years until 2019.[6][7][5]
As a student, he established Chicago city college's inaugural gay student organization, volunteered at Horizons Community Services (now Center on Halsted), and presided over the organization in the mid-1970s.[8] Additionally, Pfeiffer founded the Gay Speaker's Bureau, which facilitated discussions on LGBTQ+ topics in educational and religious institutions, with Pfeiffer delivering up to six lectures per week at the organization's peak.[8]
Pfeiffer wrote a monthly column for Chicago Gay Crusader newspaper from 1973 to 1975.[9] He then wrote on a weekly basis for GayLife for three years until the late 1970s.[9]
Pfeiffer's contributions included serving on the mayor's Advisory Council on gay and lesbian issues between 1985 and 1994 under three successive mayors.[4][5] In 1993, he was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.[9][6]
References
- ^ "Richard Pfeiffer, Coordinator For Chicago Pride Parade For Decades, Dies". CBS News.
- ^ "Chicago Pride Parade Organizer Richard Pfeiffer Dead At 70". WBEZ Chicago. October 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Richard William Pfeiffer". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Richard Pfeiffer, coordinator of Chicago Pride Parade since 1974, dies at 70". ABC7 Chicago.
- ^ a b c d Forman, Ross (October 6, 2019). "Richard Pfeiffer, Chicago Pride Parade coordinator, passes away at 70". GoPride Chicago (ChicagoPride.com). Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Schoenberg, Nara (October 8, 2019). "'He was a giant': Chicago gay rights pioneer Richard Pfeiffer ran the city's iconic Pride Parade for more than 40 years". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Richard Pfeiffer, longtime Chicago Pride Parade coordinator, has died at 70". Chicago Sun-Times. October 8, 2019.
- ^ a b "Chicago Pride Parade Organizer Richard Pfeiffer Dies At 70". NPR. October 8, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c "RICHARD W. PFEIFFER – Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame". Retrieved November 14, 2023.