By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
Chiropractic schools and alumni associations require funding in order to stay in operation and for less than a $100,000 investment chiropractors can show support for the chiropractic college they graduated from. Even if you don’t have a spare 100K to donate to your favorite chiropractic institution, there are a number of things you can do to show support for your alma mater.
(photo: a plaque outside the Cleveland Clinic in Los Angeles displaying names and graduation dates of lifetime alumni)
I’m a graduate of the Los Angeles campus of CCCLA, which is today located on Vermont Avenue off of the 101 freeway. I graduated in 1998 and have taken several continuing education programs at the same campus since graduation. While at the school yesterday for a relicensing program I noticed a plaque outside the clinic entrance which listed lifetime alumni association members for the Los Angeles campus of Cleveland Chiropractic College.
Not all chiropractic schools are the same and I believe it’s important to support the ones you feel provide the best education for future generations of chiropractors. I was visiting the Los Angeles campus this past Thursday when Dr. Carl Cleveland III reminded me that DD Palmer himself was on faculty at Ratledge Chiropractic College (which became Cleveland Chiropractic College in the 1950s) back in 1912. There’s an awful lot of history associated with the Cleveland schools of chiropractic.
I took some photos of the lifetime members board and recognized chiropractor names such as Dr. Ernest Anrig who graduated in 1969, Dr. Brian Porteous who graduated in 1981, Dr. Brian Miller graduated in 1985, Drs Claire O’Neill, Donald Bolt, and Bryan Haas who graduated in 1995 (I was attending at that time), and Dr. Marvin Lee who graduated in 1998 (same year as myself). Looking at the plaque you can see that there are spaces for more lifetime association members names to be added. Will one of those names be yours?
Just so you know, it’s not going to cost you $100,000 in order to get your name on the plaque, although I am certain the alumni Association and the Cleveland’s wouldn’t turn down such generosity. The lifetime alumni membership idea was started only a few years ago and it’s an amazingly affordable $500 to become a member. Having one’s name on a plaque is nice but there are other benefits as well. The most valuable I’ve experienced so far is the free continuing education for life program. Not only did I get my state licensing hours taken care of yesterday, I was provided breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the presentations were fantastic.
There were several graduates in attendance that were students when the chiropractic college was located in the purchased property of American boxer Jack Dempsey. That “campus” was on Olympic Boulevard in West Los Angeles. The school moved to its current location in the 1970s. Talking chiropractic history with old-time graduates was a fun experience.
If you are a chiropractor, I’d recommend you check to see what sort of alumni programs your school offers. Regardless if you are a graduate of Palmer, Life, Life West, National, Sherman, Cleveland, or other chiropractic college, stay in touch and see what you can do to get reconnected with those that came before you and those yet to come.
It was inspiring yesterday to see how many Southern California-based chiropractors are loving their lives in service to humanity. It’s important to keep that fellowship connected so we don’t lose sight of the big vision.
planetc1.com-news @ 2:08 pm | Article ID: 1223240919
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