40th Life West Class Graduates

One hundred students from across the nation and overseas were awarded doctor of chiropractic degrees at Life Chiropractic College West’s 40th commencement on June 8 at the Chabot College Performing Arts Center in Hayward, Calif. The building was filled with hundreds of families, friends, staff, faculty, and alumni. Life West’s newest doctors represented 13 states and seven foreign countries, including Australia, Canada, El Salvador, Israel, Japan, Spain, and Vietnam. Commencement speaker Terrance Stackwood, DC (‘86), was Life West’s second graduate to serve in such a capacity. Stackwood is the founder and owner of the Universal Health Center, located in San Francisco. “The graduates you see today will literally affect the lives of millions positively,” Stackwood told the audience. “I’ve seen so much good come from chiropractic.” He spoke about one of his first patients who had neck pain and lingering effects of a stroke that had left her face paralyzed. “She told me how her medical doctor told her ‘there was nothing he could do about her paralyzed face.’ How many times have we heard that? ‘There’s nothing we can do.’” Stackwood continued his story about how his patient’s facial movements slowly came back to life with normal movements just after a few weeks of adjustments. “Results like that are the greatest compliments you’ll ever get, and you’ll be getting a lot of these compliments, if it has not already happened.” Top academic honors in the winter 2002 class went to covaledictorians Kimberly Mah of Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada, and Matteo Panebianco of San Mateo, Calif. The 2002 spring quarter salutatorian honors went to Brandy Mychals Ruch of Montclair, Calif; David Sloan of San Lorenzo, Calif, was honored as his class’ valedictorian. Along with her class valedictorian award, Mah was also awarded the winter quarter 2002 Clinical Excellence Citation for exceptional patient care at the Life West Public Health Center. This quarterly award is the highest accolade given by the college’s health center. Jamie Southard of Gresham, Ore, received the Clinical Excellence Citation for the spring quarter 2002.

Baumgardner Receives Sports Honor
The American Chiropractic Association Sports Council awarded Kathleen Baumgardner, DC, with 2002 Sports Chiropractor of the Year in May. The Chiropractic Products Editorial Advisory Board member of Marlton, NJ, is medical director of the New Jersey Garden State Games and is active in the Chiropractic National Sports Network.

As a member of Foot Levelers’ faculty, Baumgardner lectures on topics that range from gender differences and issues of the female patient to children and allergies. Her areas of expertise include exercise, pregnancy and back pain, sports injuries, and athletic training.

Colorado DCs Offer Support to Local Firefighters
After long days of grueling work on fire lines, firefighters working to contain Colorado wildfires could look forward to at least one comfort—chiropractic care. More than 100 Colorado doctors of chiropractic volunteered their time, talent, and equipment to provide care to firefighters and support staff working on the summer blazes.

Three doctors of chiropractic organized the volunteer effort. David Boyd, DC, CCEP, of Castle Rock, worked with Douglas County officials to set up chiropractic care at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in June for those working on the north end of the Hayman Fire, which burned in the foothills of the eastern Rocky Mountains just south of Denver.

John Warner, DC, of Colorado Springs, made arrangements with the Salvation Army to make chiropractic care available at the Lake George Fire Department for those working on the south end of the Hayman Fire. The Hayman Fire was contained late June.

Thomas Garcia, DC, coordinated efforts to provide chiropractic care at Bayfield High School for those working on the Missionary Ridge Fire, which started in Durango and spread east to an area just 15 miles north of Bayfield, the town in which Garcia lives and practices. The Missionary Ridge Fire was contained in July, but Garcia continues to raise funds and provide assistance to firefighter families in the area.

“Our community turned out in a big way to support the men and women who were protecting our homes and forest. Many, many firefighters said they had never experienced such a generous outpouring of support,” Garcia says. “Now we are moving into the next phase of dealing with the disaster. Because families were evacuated from their homes for as long as 2 to 3 weeks, and some families lost their homes to the fire, there is still a need for support in our community.”

In addition, two Colorado chiropractic suppliers in Denver, Medical Directions and Medical Specialists, donated chiropractic adjusting tables and other supplies to be used at the Hayman Fire site.