Champion of the nation’s autistic population
Daniel Torisky was a parent of a child with special needs and an advocate who lobbied unflinchingly to improve the lives of those with autism and their families.
But he was more, his son says: a man who made the world a wiser, more aware and kinder place.
Mr. Torisky also was a key figure in the controversy surrounding the 2000 closing of Western Center, an institution in Cecil that served people with intellectual disabilities, including his eldest son, Edward.
“My father died as he lived, fighting every step of the way,” said his other son, Jesse, of New Alexandria, who took over the reins from his father as president of Autism-Pittsburgh in 2016.
A Marine and highly decorated veteran of the Korean War, Daniel Torisky, of Oakmont, died Nov. 10 of kidney failure. He was 90.
Mr. Torisky was the founder of many inventive and flourishing programs and initiatives. He established the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in 1983 to help raise money for Autism-Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Valley School; he started the first group home in Pennsylvania in 1969 as a summer program for special needs kids; and he cofounded the Spectrum Charter School for autistic and developmentally disabled adolescents in 2000.
But he is perhaps best known for his role among the founders of the Autism Society of America in the mid-1960s and its Pittsburgh chapter — now called Autism-Pittsburgh — and playing a pivotal role in shaping state legislation and expanding services for the autistic population.
“There’s not a piece of legislation in Pennsylvania involving autism that didn’t have his thumbprint on it,” his son said, including a law that provides specialized training for district judges and law enforcement to better understand people with special needs.
Mr. Torisky grew up in Brentwood and was a sergeant in the Marines after highschool, from 1950 to 1953.
As a combat veteran, he earned several medals, including a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, along with a Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of Korea.
“He was given that medal by the president of South Korea,” Jesse Torisky said. “I did not know any of that until I retrieved his discharge papers.”
Although his father spoke in generalizations about his time in the war, he rarely shared any details, his son said.
Mr. Torisky received a degree in journalism from Duquesne University and found a career in advertising, thanks to a war buddy.
“He had a friend in the military who had a job waiting for him in advertising after the war,” his son said. “My dad was being discharged ahead of him, so his friend offered him the job temporarily as a placeholder.”
But, his friend was killed in action shortly afterward.
Mr. Torisky worked for several ad firms in Pittsburgh, including Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, a worldwide firm headquartered in New York City.
He was also a talented writer.
“He was a member of the
Screen Writers Guild and wrote comedy sketches for shows like ‘Cheers,’ ‘Mad Men,’ and ‘The Benny Hill Show,’ ” his son said.
After the war, Mr. Torisky married Constance Van Dine, with whom he had four children.
Shortly after Edward was born in 1957, he showed signs of being different, Daniel Torisky recalled in previous news stories.
“He wouldn’t cuddle, wouldn’t hug, wouldn’t make eye contact,” Mr. Torisky said in a May 2013 PostGazette story.
“They said it was caused by uncaring and unloving parents,” he said in a July 2013 PG story.
Mr. and Mrs. Torisky reached out to other parents and founded the national autism society, where Mr. Torisky served as president from 1990 to 1994. He was also president of the local organization from 1996 to 2016.
“Our goal is to take care of the autistic among us,” Mr. Torisky said in the May 2013 PG story.
Today, 65-year-old Edward Torisky is a thriving resident at the Allegheny Valley Schoolin McKees Rocks.
“He loves it,” Jesse Torisky said. “He’s very happy there.”
When his son lived at Western Center, Mr. Torisky served on its board of trustees and became leader of a group of parents that opposed the closing of the institution, which had as many as 650 residents at one time.
Though Edward successfully transitioned into a group home in 1996, Mr. Torisky believed institutions still were necessary for some residents. He and other parents picketed, protested and unsuccessfully sued the state to stop the closure.
“‘One size does not fit all’ was his phrase,” said Jesse Torisky, a member of the legal team that fought the closure. “My parents were advocates of institutions and they fought to keep Western Center open because they believed that institutional care was the only appropriate way to care for some people. My dad was always an advocate for a multidisciplinary approach.”
Although he was a productive, passionate pioneer for those with special needs for most of his life, Mr. Torisky felt he ran out of time in the fight — one that will surely cement his legacy.
“He was anxious because he felt like he hadn’t gotten enough done,” Jesse Torisky said. “There was always more to do.”
Along with his sons, Mr. Torisky is survived by his second wife, Donna Durno, whom he married in 2002; daughters Danielle Torisky, of Port Republic, Va., and Rebecca Torisky, of Marysville, Ohio; stepchildren Keith Wall, of Greensboro, N.C., Karen Lamoreaux, of Keene, N.H., and Kristin Chou, of Oakmont; and two grandchildren and 12 stepgrandchildren.
His funeral was Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Autism-Pittsburgh, Professional Bldg. 1, Suite 1200, 11676 Perry Highway, Wexford, Pa. 15090.