Robert J. Casper never saw being a quadriplegic as a handicap. To him, it was just something of a hindrance.
At office parties, he zigged and zagged his wheelchair down the center of the "Soul Train"-style dance line -- with a few more moves and a lot more energy.
Friends said he was always the first person in the office trying to get others to go out after work.
On Thursday, Mr. Casper, 59, a lifelong Baltimore resident, died of heart failure at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
"He taught all of us to recognize what disabled people can do and not what they can't do," said Sue Needle, a friend and former co-worker at the state Department of Human Resources. "He never liked the term 'wheelchair bound' or 'handicapped' and never wanted to hear it."
Mr. Casper was injured in a diving accident when he was 15. A tall, slender man who had only slight movement of his arms, Mr. Casper rode in a specially designed van and a custom wheelchair.
He was always willing to discuss his disability with anyone who asked and urged parents not to suppress their children's curiosity about someone in a wheelchair. "He always said parents were wrong when they said don't ask or stare," Ms. Needle said. "He felt the more questions you ask, the more you'll know."
Born in Highlandtown, Mr. Casper graduated from City College in the 1950s and the University of Baltimore in the 1960s.
An Orioles fan who enjoyed traveling, Mr. Casper used the van as his "ticket to freedom," said Karen Martin, a friend.
Since about 1990, Mr. Casper had worked as a classification analyst with the Department of Human Resources. He was also an assistant American with Disabilities Act coordinator, conducting classes and seminars on awareness of the disabled.
At work, colleagues said he brightened the office with his "devilish" sense of humor. "He was always ready for fun," Ms. Martin said.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. today at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 4420 Frankford Ave.
Mr. Casper was divorced and is survived by a son, Tom Casper of Miami Beach, Fla.
Pub Date: 3/22/99