Edgar F. Allen’s son was killed in 1907 in a tragic street-car accident in which 80 others were injured or crippled.  In memory of his son who might have lived, and those devastated by the crash, Edgar Allen, recognized  a need and started work with other friends.  By the fall of 1908 the new and modern Elyria Memorial Hospital opened its doors.  In September 1915, the Gates Hospital for Crippled Children was opened as the Children's Orthopedic Unit of Elyria Memorial Hospital.

 

Edgar joined the Rotary Club of Elyria, Ohio, in 1919.  In April of that year, with the encouragement of Sam Squire (Charter Member -- Elyria Rotary), Rotarians from Elyria, Cleveland and Toledo formed the "Ohio Society for Crippled Children", composed entirely, at the time, of Rotarians.

 

But, Polio was soon to raise the scope of the task and the cost of care.   The first recorded epidemic occurred in 1894 in Vermont with 132 cases. By 1916, there were 27,000 cases and 6,000 deaths in the United States, but the disease was confined mainly to the Northeast and its spread was slow at first, so East Texas was mostly unaffected, for several years.  Then, Polio struck Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1929 and the game changed.  

 

As Polio gained national attention a massive search for the cause and treatment of this devastating disease began and in 1933 FDR was inaugurated.  His entrance onto the national stage had a profound impact on the issue.

 

In the meantime, the "Ohio Society for Crippled Children", had become the “International Society for Crippled Children”.  Its first true fundraising effort was known as the “White Cross Seals” which were sold mainly to school children for a penny apiece, and, which later became known as Easter Seals.  

 

Edgar became aware that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view, so he reached out to other clubs who were also working to help children with disabilities, and, at Rotary’s 1922 convention, he encouraged other Rotary clubs to become involved.

 

The same year that Edgar Allen started the Ohio Society for Crippled Children (1919) the Rotary Club of Marshall, Texas was formed.  One of the charter members of this club was Frank Davis, who became the first district governor from the Marshall club in 1932.  Coincidently, the lives of these two men would have a profound influence on the young Marshall club and the battle against Polio.

 

Early in 1932, Frank went to Chicago to receive his training as district governor.  While there he learned about the program that Edgar Allen had started, and which the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris himself, had embraced and supported with a contribution of $500 in 1930.  Frank knew there was a need for this kind of care in and around Marshall too, so upon returning to Marshall he proposed the concept to the club president Gus Carter and President-Elect D L Johnson, whereupon a Community Service sub-committee was formed to start such a program in Marshall. 

 

In July of 1932, now club president, D L Johnson, appointed H M Price as chairman of the newly formed Crippled Children’s committee with Frank Davis as his assistant. Later, D L Johnson and Gus Carter joined the committee and they devised a program to raise money to help local children.  Initially they appealed to the member’s kindness and asked for donations from friends and club members. 

 

In 1934, however, the International Society for Crippled Children came up with a better way to raise money.  It was called the “President’s Ball”, or the “President’s Birthday Ball”, in honor of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

 

The club devised many novel ways to raise money for the cause, one of which was to collect one dollar from each member on their birthday, which did not raise much money but reminded them of the reason for the dollar.  This practice was later used to fund the Student Scholarship Fund, Probably around 1948.  Another practice was for members to opt to have a sandwich instead of the full meal and donate the difference to the Crippled Children fund. 

 

The task, however, soon exceeded their ability to raise enough money within the club to fund the growing needs, so they quickly embraced the gala ball which drew support from those outside of the club to raise the additional money.  Half of the proceeds of the “Ball” went to the International Society for Crippled Children and half was retained for local needs, which included treatment at local clinics by specialists in the field.

 

In March of 1937, H W Price, chairman of the Crippled Children’s Committee persuaded, the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, on her way from Dallas to Shreveport, to stop in Marshall and participate in one of these Crippled Children’s Clinics.  Soon after, the President and Eleanor founded The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, using a nationwide fundraising drive called “The March of Dimes”.

 

Eventually, the cause of Polio was discovered to be a virus, and Jonas Salk developed a vaccine to prevent it in March of 1953.  Later the Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin in 1961 was used, and Polio was eradicated from the United States in 1979, after which, the state took over most of the cost of the treatment and care of the children left crippled.

 

After that, the club’s efforts were scaled back to meet the needs of the local crippled children, such as transportation for treatment, glasses, food, and shelter.  The program continued for many years and was eventually phased out as more state and national resources took over the care and treatment of the indigent crippled children.

 

But, Polio was still raging in the rest of the world and Rotary, as a world-wide organization, decided to do something about it.  The lesson that the world and Rotary learned, from these dedicated and hardworking early Rotarians was that “boots on the ground” are worth more than government programs no matter how noble and grand.  Thus, in 1985, Rotary International launched the PolioPlus program to eradicate the dreaded disease, Polio, from the earth and treat the millions of those that had already been infected.

 

World-wide, Polio continued to take a heavy toll.  There were 350,000 confirmed cases of Polio in 1985, killing thousands, and dooming most of the rest to the life of a helpless cripple.  Acting alone, Rotary launched a well-conceived plan, including harnessing the power and influence of 1.2 million Rotarians around the world and pursued it with unwavering determination.

 

They raised over 230 million dollars by 1988, purchased the Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin in 1961, organized National Immunization Days, and set out to put the life-saving drops into the mouths of every baby in the world.  It all paid off.  There have only been six confirmed cases (all in Afghanistan) of Polio in the entire world this year (2018)!!!

 

Congratulations Edgar Allen, Frank Davis, H M Price, D L Johnson, Gus Carter, and all the Rotarians who followed them.  Congratulations Rotary International, and the over 1.2 million Rotarians and thousands of others who participated in the PolioPlus campaign, for stamping out this disease forever. 

 

As Tiny Tim would say, “God Bless Us Everyone”.