From its inception in 1926 until its final commencement exercises in 1971 and amalgamation with the National College,1 the Lincoln Chiropractic College was an exceptional institution. Conceived as an alternative to the Palmer School,2 from which its founders had departed from 1924 to 1926 in the wake of the neuro-calometer's introduction,3,4 the Lincoln earned a reputation as a "straight" chiropractic institution with a greater-than-average commitment to academics.
The school is gone now, but its memory is institutionalized in the Lincoln College Education and Research Fund, by supporters of the Florida State University College of Chiropractic, and by the National-Lincoln postgraduate division of the National University of Health Sciences. The influence of the Lincoln can also be recognized in the works of its many graduates, including the following:
Alumnus
Year Graduated
Phil L. Aiken, DC, DABCO
1949
Jerome Auerbach, DC
1954
Elmer A. Berner, DC
1949
William H. Bromley, DC
1961
Asa J. Brown, DC
1951
William C. Chapel, DC
1949
Nelson O. DeCamp, DC
1965
Frances O. DeVore, DC
1940
Wolden W. DeVore, DC
1940
James J. DiPietro, DC
1952
Hoyt B. Duke, DC
1942
Harold W. Evans, DC
1949
Kenneth H. Evert, DC
1941
Maurice W. Flack, DC
1948
Jean M. Gaudet, DC
1928
Monte Greenawalt, DC
1948
Herbert E. Hinton, DC
1951
Samuel Homola, DC
1956
J.O. Edgar Houle, DC
1928
Cruse J. Howe, DC
1949
Joseph S. Hoyt, DC
1932
Kenneth Luedtke, DC
1953
Edward L. Maurer, DC, DACBR
1958
Montfort C. Mitchell, DC
1951
Rudy O. Mueller, DC
1937
Carrol J. Ohlson, DC, JD
1938
Kenneth Padgett, DC
1951
Alice Papa, DC
1929
Joan E. Partridge, DC
1960
Audrey Ploudre, DC
1938
Frank G. Ploudre, DC
1938
Hilary W. Pruitt, DC
1937
Earl A Rich, DC
1943
Robert I. Runnells, DC
1943
Richard C. Schafer, DC
1952
August L. Schultz, DC
1930
Leslie J. Shaw, DC
1956
Daniel C. Spears, DC, DPT
1937
Vern R. Webster, DC, DABCO
1949
William A. Watkinson, DC
1934
Ronald J. Watkins, DC, DACBR
1942
Paul Vogel, DC
1951
A. Glynn Till, DC
1962
Chester C. Stowell, DC
1948
L.L. Steinbach, DC
1954
Harry K. Sproviero, DC
1940
Howard M. Spears, DC, DPT
1938
Leo Wunsch II, DC
1952
Of course, the credits of the Lincoln extend beyond its alumni to include the various faculty; administrators; members of the board of trustees; and the alumni of Lincoln and other chiropractic colleges who shepherded the institution throughout its 45 years. Of special note are the alumni of the Universal Chiropractic College (UCC), founded in Davenport, Iowa in 1910, and relocated to Pittsburgh, circa 1918. The UCC closed its doors in 1944, a victim of decline in student enrollment attributable to World War II; its alumni were merged with those of the Lincoln, and UCC graduates made Lincoln their home.
After more than 30 years since its closure, memories of the Lincoln are fading. Lest they be forgotten, images of a few of the people who made the Lincoln a significant institution are presented below. Who can you identify? (Answer key following):
Answer Key:
A: James N. Firth, DC, graduate of the Palmer School; co-founder and president of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
B: Harry E. Vedder, DC, graduate of the Palmer School; co-founder and president of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
C: F. Lorne Wheaton, DC, graduate of the Universal Chiropractic College, chairman of the Lincoln College board of trustees; chairman of the board of directors of the National Chiropractic Association; and co-founder of the National Chiropractic Insurance Company.
D: Ernest A. Thompson, DC, graduate of the Palmer School, radiologist and member of the Lincoln College board of trustees.
E: Stephen J. Burich, DC, graduate of the Palmer School and co-founder of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
F: Arthur G. Hendricks, DC, graduate of the Palmer School; co-founder and president of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
G: Richard C. Shafer, DC, graduate of the Lincoln and author and editor of many books for the American Chiropractic Association.
H: Leo J. Steinbach, DC, graduate and final dean of the Universal Chiropractic College; professor at the Lincoln College
I: Frank G. Ploudre, DC, graduate of the Lincoln and member of the Lincoln College board of trustees.
J: John A. Herring, MA, DC, professor of diagnosis and technique at the Lincoln College.
K: Maurice W. Flack, DC, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College and professor of anatomy at the Lincoln.
L: Rudy O. Mueller, DC, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College and dean of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
M: Lewis F. Bierman, MA, DC, graduate of the Palmer School and president of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
N: Hilary W. Pruitt, DC, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College; radiologist; and member of the board of directors of the National Chiropractic Association and the National Chiropractic Insurance Company.
O: Forrest H. McIlroy, DC, graduate of the Universal Chiropractic College and clinic director of the Lincoln College.
P: Elmer A. Berner, DC, graduate of and faculty member at the Lincoln College; president of the American Chiropractic Association; and member of the board of directors of the National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company.
Q: Edward L. Maurer, DC, DACBR, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College; chairman of the board of the American Chiropractic Association and the Lincoln College Education & Research Fund.
R: Herbert E. Hinton, DC, graduate of and instructor at the Lincoln Chiropractic College; chairman of the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education.
S: Chester C. Stowell, DC, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College; professor and administrator at the Lincoln and National Chiropractic Colleges.
T: Kenneth Luedtke, DC, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College and president of the American Chiropractic Association.
U: Ronald J. Watkins, DC, DACBR, graduate of the Lincoln Chiropractic College and dean of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
V: Richard M. Simon, EdD, final president of the Lincoln Chiropractic College.
W: Earl A. Rich, DC, graduate of and professor at the Lincoln Chiropractic College; radiologist; and researcher.
X: Leo Wunsch II, DC, radiologist and member of the board of directors of the National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company.
References
Janse J. National-Lincoln Colleges sign affiliation agreement. Digest of Chiropractic Economics 1971 (Sept/Oct);14 (2):56-7.
Keating JC. Lincoln College: a glimpse at the early years. Dynamic Chiropractic, 26 January 1998, pp. 29,32-3,40-2.
Keating JC. Letter to the editor re: The last days of B.J. Palmer (Lincoln walkout: was it prompted by the NCM?). Chiropractic History 1990 (June);10(1):8; Reprinted in the Lincoln Bulletin 1991 (Mar);4(1):1-2.
Keating JC. Introducing the neurocalometer: a view from the Fountain Head. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 1991 (Sept);35(3):165-78.
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Dr. Anthony Delitto, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, has announced that the SHRS will begin offering a Doctor of Chiropractic program in fall 2025, with applications accepted this fall. The program is the first at a research-intensive public university in the U.S. and the only chiropractic program headed by a faculty member with NIH research funding, according to the press release.
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