Leaving a legacy

Although each year we say goodbye to colleagues and lifelong friends, we were especially saddened by the recent loss of 3 highly respected and loved colleagues: Dr Jules Rothstein, Dr Scot Irwin, and Florence Kendall. Many of us have spent time remembering and reflecting about what their friendship meant to us, the impact they had on our profession, and the loss that occurred as a result of their deaths. Jules, Scot, and Florence were each exceptional leaders within our profession. They inspired us. They made the profession better. To us, they were legends, and they left us a special legacy. Simply put, each of them made a meaningful difference. Throughout my career in physical therapy, I have had the opportunity to meet many great individuals in our Association and the profession who are making a difference. I would like to focus my address tonight on those individuals and on each of you. It's all about having an impact-an impact on our profession and on the patients we serve. It's about our role in identifying and shaping new leaders... and those leaders mentoring new leaders. It's all about legacies-and creating the legacy that each of us will leave. Albert Einstein once said, "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." Let this address be my acknowledgment of your great spirit... your willingness to courageously pursue a vision that shatters the status quo of the mediocre mind-a vision that seeks an effective and logical approach for providing access, choice, and high-quality physical therapist services. The same greatness that was embodied by our colleagues, Jules, Scot, and Florence, is also embodied by you.