Honoring Dick Fallow

Dick Fallow’s story begins with typical American lineage - born the youngest of three children in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1920. During his childhood, the Great Depression was having its way with most everyone around him. By the time he was a teenager, however, his story took its first big turn.

In 1937, Dick took a youth hostel bicycle trip across Europe. But it was not the kind of trip a teenager with a backpack dreams about.  Fallow heard about the American Field Service, a volunteer group organized during World War I to help evacuate and treat injured soldiers. He joined the service as an ambulance driver and was ordered to a battle line in Northern Africa, zigzagging there by ship to avoid the military perils of the ocean.

But there was another war to fight back home, and Fallow could stomach this one. The union planted him in various shops to gauge the lay of the land. He had to accommodate the situation carefully, because the idea of unionism was enormously unpopular.

His effectiveness in organizing labor unions placed him in high demand, and Fallow was dispatched to Davenport in 1952, where he joined the staff of the AFL-CIO, focusing on politics as the director of COPE (Committee on Political Education). He worked with state Federations of Labor in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
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A year before moving to the Quad-Cities, Fallow married his wife, Mickey. They had three daughters: Jean (Fallow), Bobbie (Fersch) and Renee (Conklin).
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Labor/Economic Justice

Dick Fallow fought tirelessly against what he called “wage slavery” and economic inequality. Dick remained an organizer, inspirer, and mobilizer on behalf of workers’ rights into his early 90's. He supported the rights of all workers to good wages, benefits like Social Security, health insurance, vacation and sick days, to dignified pensions and retiree health care, safe working conditions, and most of all: respect for the work we do. Democracy at work not only made for a life with dignity, it was good economic policy, too. 

Environment/Sustainability

Dick Fallow held a great respect and love for the earth he inhabited. As an organic farmer, he was appalled by the rampant use of pesticides and chemicals. Dick was equally concerned about the quality of our water due to factory dumping and farm chemical runoff and did not hesitate to raise his voice about  industries who chose to put profit before safety. Dick did not consume or buy products he did not need and expressed concern with the throw away mentality of our society,  He was also dismayed with the slow progress switch from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. Dick was a true protector and friend to our planet, Earth. 

Democracy/Human Rights

Dick Fallow envisioned a world where the human rights and dignity of all people were respected.  He believed that everybody should have a voice – not only in their respective local, state, and federal governments, but also in their workplaces, communities, and families.  Dick was a great advocate for peace and justice.  He rallied against  unnecessary wars and stood up for peace and justice everywhere.  Dick was a true champion of Peace.  ​