Bob Doctor PT Service Awards

Five Colorado PTs were honored with the Chapter’s prestigious Bob Doctor PT Service Award for 2004. Their introductions, which were read during the awards ceremony tell their story of contributions well: 

– Nancey Bookstein –

     When you hear our first recipient’s name, you might think of either libraries or horse racing. ----- But she’s not associated with either. Instead, “Bookie” is one of the best anatomy professors there is AND one of the toughest, her students say. Upon completing her studies at Northeastern University and Medical College of Virginia, Bookie moved to Denver and became the Director of Clinical Education at Mercy Hospital. She started teaching at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center PT Program in September 1978 and earned her Doctorate Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1998. 

Nancey Bookstein, known to all of us as Bookie, generously volunteers her time to the Colorado Chapter as Chair of the Ethics Committee, and site coordinator of the 9Health Fair.  Nationally she is chair of the Osteoporosis SIG of the Geriatrics Section. She is also active in the Colorado Society for Bone Mineral Research. Congratulations Bookie – you exemplify what the Bob Doctor Award is all about.

– Alice Davis –

     “I’m a better physical therapist than a meeting planner,” this Bob Doctor award recipient said the other day. But you’d never know it if you look around this and other APTA/Colorado Chapter conferences that she has coordinated as chair of the Chapter’s Professional Development / Education Committee. Alice Davis has shown outstanding leadership as she has taken on one of the toughest volunteer positions in the Chapter. She guides and inspires her committee, many of whom are students who in turn have the opportunity to observe and learn new leadership skills from Alice. 

We all are the beneficiaries of this committee’s pre-planning and hard work on site to ensure our educational programs are worth our time and money. After receiving her MS in PT in 1994, Alice worked several years before she started her own very successful company, One on One Physical Therapy, providing PT in her patients’ homes. Congratulations Alice, and many thanks for all you do for the Colorado Chapter.

– Kathleen Yocum –

     It’s either biking or hiking for this Bob Doctor Award recipient. She’s often seen doing one of these activities (she says it’s easier to talk when she’s biking). She also takes time out to participate in legislative and association projects as well.  After earning her PT degree in 1988, Kathleen Yocum started working at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, where she is still employed. She has represented Colorado’s NE District at the National APTA House of Delegates since 1999. She marched on Capitol Hill in June of 2003 and gave very articulate, convincing arguments to Colorado’s congressional delegation concerning Direct Access and the therapy cap. Thank you Kathleen for your outstanding service to the Colorado Chapter and your profession.

     If you want to learn the world of physical therapy from an experienced and practical point of view, try dropping in on this award recipient’s classroom. After owning and operating his own physical therapy practice for 20 years, Ira Gorman grew a beard and became a professor. He has been teaching at Regis University since 1996. Ira is a graduate of State University of New York PT School and earned a degree in Public Health from the University of Colorado. 

Ira’s interest in the political process has led him to an appointment as one of 50 Federal Affairs Liaisons to the APTA. He is an active member of the Chapter’s Governmental Affairs Committee where he gives advice on the many bills that the Chapter monitors each legislative session and he has served on several key Workers Comp task forces. He is also a member of the National Political Action Committee and understands the importance of PTs participating and contributing to legislative campaigns. He brings these political discussions and perspectives to his students. Congratulations Ira, you are a true example of Bob Doctor’s vision of service.

Bob Doctor must be smiling right now as he looks down on our next recipient receiving the award bearing his name. A PT graduate of the University of North Carolina, Heather Campbell earned her Masters in Sport Sciences from the University of Denver. After working for Bob Doctor at Therex, and practicing for two years in London, she became co-owner of South Valley Physical Therapy for ten years. Upon receiving notice of this recognition, Heather Campbell wrote that - quote “I was awash in many emotions as my career of 25 years before ‘retirement’ spun before my mind’s eye like an old movie reel.” She continued, “First I was again remembering Bob and missing him, recalling all those years I worked for him as a young hothead, part of the “the brat pack” he patiently embraced and nurtured. I realized I was not consciously attending to the humble work ethic he modeled for us during those sophomore “know it all” years. Then I started missing my close association with Pat Winkler, whose unique combination of knowledgeable excellence and humility remains a beacon for me in many ways. “Then I indulged in a moment of nostalgic sentimentality, that my colleagues had not yet forgotten me even though I’ve been invisible for two years, and away from the center of activity (living in Avon) for eight." Thank you Heather for your intense passion for the integrity of your PT profession in both practice and academics and your committed heart. No matter where you live, you and your contributions will not be forgotten any time soon.

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