Richard W. Pfeiffer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard William Pfeiffer May 14, 1949 |
| Died | October 6, 2019 (aged 70) |
| Spouse |
William Frye (m. 1971) |
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.
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]
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]