Almost everyone in Pulaski County knows the life story of Ralph Braun.

Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy early in life which left him unable to walk by age 15, he built his first electric scooter in 1963. Soon after he created his first accesible vehicle from an old postal jeep. He immediately captured the imagination of the handicapped world, and earned the admiration of everyone else as his efforts to give ability to those with disability grew into the founding of the Braun Corporation in 1972.

Today, the company is the world’s leading maker of wheelchair-accessible vehicles and wheelchair lifts, and has 850 employees, most of whom work at its Winamac headquarters which includes a 210,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on the 88-acre complex.

"When I built my first three-wheeled scooter, I didn't realize the solution to my personal mobility would eventually change thousands of lives," Braun once explained. "I soon discovered there were many like me who refused to let physical limitations keep them from the places they wanted to go."

With the success of his first scooter, Braun began to take orders and build "Tri-Wheelers" in his parents' garage under the name Save-A-Step Manufacturing. This was followed few years later when the arrival of the full-size van inspired the creation of the "Lift-A-Way" wheelchair lift.

As his business grew, Braun took the plunge and quit his "day job," and incorporated his little company under the name, The Braun Corporation. The business enjoyed phenomenal growth through the 70's and 80's. Many of Braun's first customers became dealers across the country, laying the foundation of a strong distribution network that endures to this day, according to the company's website.

With the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the disabled community was awarded unprecedented access to public places. Soon after, a revolutionary product was introduced: the Entervan. This lowered-floor minivan offered unparalleled ease of access for wheelchair users, and it quickly became the flagship of the Braun product line as thousands discovered a newfound independence. What started in a garage had grown into a worldwide corporation in just 20 short years, and Braun remained at the helm of the company – and the industry – he had created.

Braun has been the recipient of countless industry and other awards, and was named a White House Champion of Change last spring. Articles about Braun and his company have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Success and Mobility magazines and numerous other media outlets. Stories of Braun's philanthrophy are legendary.

He told his own story in an autobiography, Rise Above (2010, The Braun Corp.). Proceeds from sales go to The Ralph Braun Foundation, which assists people with mobility needs.

He never retired from The Braun Corporation, and continued to be seen in his office and around town even as he battled the cancer which ultimately claimed his life.

Braun Ability: The electric "Tri-Wheeler" was Ralph Braun's first invention in 1963, and it launched an industry to mobilize the handicapped. In these early days, Braun filled orders for the scooter from his parents garage in his spare time. Ralph W. Braun, founder of The Braun Corporation in Winamac, died Friday (Feb. 8) afternoon, following an extended illness. He was age 72. Braun Corporation photo.

Sally Deneen in an article about Braun in Success magazine last year wrote that he remembered praying as a kid to ask God to perform a miracle and make him able to walk. “I have to say that miracle did happen: He blessed me with the ability to take care of myself and help others,” Braun wrote in Rise Above. “My prayers were answered.” 

And then some.

It seems only fitting that The Braun Corporation's latest motto is "Because – as Ralph Braun has known all along – Life is a Moving Experience."

Braun was the married father of five adult children. A complete obituary appears on the PulaskiPost.com obituary page.

By Karen Clem Fritz