Dudley S. Childress: Engineering solutions for human enablement.

Childress, born the eldest of three children in Archie, Missouri, identified with the values of Missouri farmlands and small towns, which emphasized hard work, fair play, personal responsibility, and compassion. Growing up, Childress spent time with his maternal and paternal grandparents who lived on farms near Harrisonville, Missouri. Every summer he helped his maternal grandparents work their farm where he rode behind a team of cherished draft horses. Eventually, he saw farm work transition from horsepower to tractors. His paternal grandfather relished showing him how the farm machinery worked, sparking his interest in engineering and mechanical systems. Childress was an outstanding athlete. In high school, he lettered in football, basketball, and track. During his senior year, he was a small, but fast and smart, quarterback who led his team to finish undefeated in its conference. Childress accepted a full scholarship to play football at the University of Missouri, where he majored in Electrical Engineering. Childress was the first football player at “Mizzou” to major in engineering. He earned his BS (1957) and MS (1958) degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri. Childress served in the U.S. Army Reserve on Active Duty (1958–1959) and on Active Reserve (1959–1964). Dudley Childress and Nancy Smith were married in 1959, and until 1963, they lived in Columbia, Missouri, where he taught Electrical Engineering at the University of Missouri and she taught first grade in the public schools. In 1967, Childress completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. He built his career at Northwestern University, rising to become a tenured professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. From 1972 until his retirement in 2005, Childress directed the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program. Throughout his career, Childress conducted research and development in the field of rehabilitation engineering and became world-renowned for his work in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation. Childress and his laboratory developed many important rehabilitation technologies, including the first self-contained electromyography-controlled prosthetic arm, the sip-and-puff wheelchair controller, and the synergetic prehensor. Childress also published more than 130 publications that helped to broaden the knowledge base in the areas of prosthetics, orthotics, assistive technology, and human walking. Employing a basic science approach, Childress conducted applied research and development, successfully broadening the knowledge base for use by other scientists. He actively involved persons with disabilities, fully integrating them into research and development projects by hiring them as students and staff members. Childress also valued the opinions of clinicians and actively involved them in his research endeavors. Among recognition and awards for his many career achievements, Childress 1967: Dudley Childress, intent scientist.