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THIS ISSUE:
90th
Anniversary
Swedish Institute on-line newsletter for our students, faculty and community.
1916: Our Founding Captain
Captain Theodore Melander establishes the
Swedish Institute of Physiotherapy at 17 East 59th Street.
Students receive 1,666 hours of training, 666 of which are
spent in the hospitals.
Graduates must pass tests to receive a New York City license to practice.
1927: A Life lived Naturally for Over a Century
Among the million immigrants a year passing through New York Harbor, a brave 21-year old named
Anna Koppen finds a path that lasts a lifetime.
Read Anna Koppen's
book list.
In 1927, Lillian F. Phillips becomes assistant director of the school. She later becomes director, a position she holds until 1968. The library is named after her in honor of her stewardship for over 40 years.
1937: Caring for Jaspers and Giants
Deco skyscrapers and Depression bread lines are typical of contrasting images in Manhattan while
John “Doc” Johnson learns physiotherapy, which he’ll later bring to elite athletes.
1947: He Did It His Way
Will Valerio Pasqua succumb to the glamour of nights on Broadway, or will he choose to stay in
school and pin his high hopes on himself?
1954: Ahead of His Time
Hari Jot Singh (formerly Sid Zerinsky) graduates from the last class of physiotherapists.
His deep commitment to the field of massage leads him to teach and then become director of the
Swedish Institute from 1964 to 1984.
In 1954, state legislation transfers the training of physical therapists to hospitals and later the university level. The Swedish Institute elects to keep its focus on massage.
1964: Women of Strength Leaving Impressions
Strength and gentleness are often found together in people who work in the healing arts,
and Jenny Forbes finds she has what it takes.
In 1967, massage licensure transfers from New York City to
New York State. The State recognizes massage as a profession.
In 1968, Patricia Eckardt, a member of Lillian Phillips' family,
takes over as president of the school and serves in that capacity until 1992. She remains
at the school as Chairman of the Board of Directors until her death in 1998. A Massage
Therapy Program
scholarship is awarded every year in her honor. The school is
located on Eighth Avenue and 50th Street for a short while, then moves to 160 West 71st
Street at Broadway.
Mainstream America is introduced to the potential of acupuncture in 1971, after a series of articles by reporters who accompanied President Richard M. Nixon to China.
1975: At the Start of a Movement
People are demonstrating for many kinds of change, including the right to collaborate in their own
health care. Joseph Horan’s search for self-care leads him to a profession of caring for
others.
In 1975, the profession of massage becomes a practice-protected
health care profession in which the title and practice are restricted to those licensed in the
profession, except for certain other health care professions, such as nurses, who are exempt.
Acupuncture becomes a
licensed
health care profession in New York State in 1976.
The school moves to 31st Street and Avenue of the Americas in
1976, where it remains until 1987.
In 1981, the Swedish Institute becomes the first school in its field to be granted accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).
1985: Paving the Way for Integrative Care
Graduates from this decade make breakthroughs into new fields; they embrace acupuncture,
return massage therapy to hospital settings, and participate in research. Wendy Miner harnesses the
power of touch at a leading cancer center.
The school moves to its current location at 226 West 26th Street in
1987.
In 1990, New York State recognizes massage practice as massage
therapy and changes the license to reflect this. The term massage therapist replaces
masseur and masseuse and the letters L.M.T. (licensed massage therapist)
can follow a practitioner's name.
Paula J. Eckardt assumes responsibilities of
president of the school in 1992.
In 1996, the Swedish Institute broadens its commitment to
natural health care when it initiates a three-year Master's level
Acupuncture
Program. Jeffrey C. Yuen, Dean for Academic Affairs, and Sheila
George, M.D., C.A., are instrumental in creating the curriculum,
which emphasizes an approach based on Classical Chinese Medicine.
In 1998, the Massage Therapy Program is granted degree status and begins to confer an Associate in Occupational Studies degree.
1999: A Sense of Connection
Community activism offered a return to health and a source of inspiration to Beverly Hutchinson,
who now gives the gift of acupuncture back to a needy population.
2001: Swept Into Action
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the massage therapy and acupuncture
community volunteer their expertise to aid rescue workers. In the first weeks, the Swedish Institute
takes a leading role in deploying nearly 1,400 volunteer therapists to more than 50 sites.
In 2003, the Acupuncture Program is granted degree status as
a Master of Science degree in Acupuncture.
The Institute adds a 120-hour certificate program in Advanced Personal Training in 2004, with a vision of providing fitness instruction based on the most current research available, tempered by a historical perspective of the profession.
2004: Getting Started in Fitness
Bill Hughes left a job in top management to find a way to be healthier and
stay that way. After completing studies in massage therapy and personal
training, he aims to shape up cultural paradigms for health and wellness.
2006: Returning to the Source
Francesca Paik goes to China to contemplate the origins of acupuncture and compare it to current uses
in the U.S., as it undergoes changes to suit modern times and a different culture.
Honored Faculty and Staff
We salute and thank those who have been here over 25 years
2006: Longevity in the Field
Of the nine alumni featured from 1927 through 2006, only one has died (just recently at 103),
and only one is fully retired. SInews editor Barbara Goldschmidt ponders possible explanations
for their longevity.