As a national chiropractic leader for over a quarter of a century, I have been privy to a great amount of information – some of which was confidential and/or embargoed that I could not divulge. And that prohibition has certainly applied to the 75-plus “Insider Insights” columns I have authored over these past many years.
Without Dr. William Morgan’s permission and since so many years have passed, it is now time for me to “tell you the rest of the story,” as the late, great Paul Harvey used to say, in order to record this truly monumental and historical event for the chiropractic profession.
As the ICA Texas representative assemblyman, I flew to Dallas one morning in October 2016 to attend the investiture of Dr. Morgan as the president of Parker University and flew back that evening. To say it was absolutely wonderful would be an understatement. So, at long last, I want to give you the highlights of that event, which absolutely confirmed to me that Dr. Morgan was President George W. Bush’s personal chiropractor.
I was already in the building about 90 minutes before the start when Dr. Morgan arrived with his group. He was genuinely thrilled to see that I had made the effort and warmly hugged me. After his group moved away a little, I pointed to my 107th Congress lapel pin, which a member of Congress gave him after the session, and which he in turn gave me due to my efforts as ACA chairman in getting chiropractic care for our nation’s veterans when President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on Jan. 23, 2002.
That day was one of proudest days in my life because it fulfilled a 75-year effort began by Dr. B.J. Palmer1-2 – and which likely would have never happened had Dr. Morgan not been President Bush’s chiropractor!
By accident, my seat was front-row aisle. Later, Bill told me he was watching my reaction to the comments he was making. Afterward, I told him that I was the original vice chairman of the Parker Board of Trustees under Dr. James Parker in the early 1980s, and that I knew him very well.
Dr. Morgan was very surprised to learn that and I then told him the following: “If there is a God in heaven, Dr. Jim is looking down right now and smiling because you are at the helm of this outstanding institution that he founded.” He was very touched.
Dr. Morgan was a Navy corpsman who was assigned to a Marine combat unit. The keynote speaker at his presidential investiture was retired four-star Marine General Walter E. Boomer, who talked about Bill’s courage, his commitment, and his integrity both during his military service and his care of wounded military members for over a decade.
General Boomer went on to say that at Bethesda and Walter Reed, Dr. Morgan treated members of Congress, the Supreme Court - and the White House!
Based on the photo of Dr. Morgan with President George W. Bush at a White House Christmas party, the fact that Bill once told me he was going to be in Crawford, Texas, seeing a photo of him wearing a “Crawford White House” polo shirt, and receiving a call from him for my advice about the best portable adjusting table for him to obtain, I believe it is completely safe to conclude that Dr. William Morgan was unquestionably President Bush’s personal chiropractor. If Bill wants or needs to deny it, that’s fine, but he most certainly was, and the chiropractic profession is finally learning that.
Dr. William Morgan is one of the most talented individuals and practitioners I have ever known, is committed to excellence in all of his endeavors, and has a moral compass second to none. I have witnessed a number of cases in which great chiropractic leaders – like Dr. Morgan – have stepped forward after he or she “innately” determined that it was their time to lead, whether as a world-class practitioner or as a college president passing on their skills and values to future doctors of chiropractic.
Parker University has been in good hands during Dr. Morgan’s presidential tenure and has accomplished great things; and I believe will continue to do so under his outstanding leadership. Godspeed, Dr. Morgan, because you – as the longtime team chiropractor for the U.S. Naval Academy football team – have to know that you are only at the halftime of your “Hall of Fame” career!
Editor’s Note: To our knowledge, this is the first time a doctor of chiropractic has served as a sitting U.S. president’s personal DC.
References
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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