APMA News - March/April 2019 - 14

David G. Edwards, DPM
Presidential Address to the House of Delegates
March 1 7, 2019

r. Speaker; officers and members of the Board of
Trustees; delegates, and my Utah delegation specifically; distinguished guests; APMA staff; friends;
and my dear family, thank you.
I was asked by a fellow board member after a
presidential [installation ceremony] processional [at an HOD
meeting], "What are you going to do?" My reply: "Have you
ever heard of the Tabernacle Choir?"
In the words of the hymn you just heard, "They, the
builders of the nation ... Blessed, honored pioneer!" Our
nation was built by pioneers from many walks of life, and
it continues to grow in similar fashion today.
My vision for the year ahead is tied to that pioneering
spirit as we have seen it embodied in our profession. In my
article in last month's APMA News, I shared with the membership that I believe APMA as an organization needs to be
cognizant of the past, fully aware in the present, and focused
on the future.
Our collective pasts are filled with pioneers, whether
we realize it or not. There are great pioneers within our
profession and pioneers in each of our personal lives. A pioneer [according to the Oxford English Dictionary], is "one
who goes before to prepare or open up the way for others
to follow."
Personally, Rexann and I both have a pioneer ancestry
that includes relatives who, in the mid-1800s, crossed the
Mississippi River and journeyed west across the Great Plains
to the Rocky Mountains.

14 APMA News March/April 2019

They blazed trails where no roads existed and planted
crops along the way for those who would follow.
We each share that same pioneer heritage in our podiatric ancestry. Think of all the individuals who truly blazed
trails, and in the process planted crops for those of us who
would follow to harvest!
Nowhere is that more evident than in our legislative history. Dr. Seward P. Nyman helped ensure podiatry's inclusion in Medicare. Dr. Irvin O. Kanat was a pioneer in postgraduate education and training, and he was also a founder
of what is now the APMA Political Action Committee. (I
personally express thanks to Irv for giving my nominating
speech 12 years ago!)
I got involved with APMAPAC as a student when John
Carson was director of Governmental Affairs. I'm proud to
say that for four years, my classmates donated at a 90-percent rate. (They also got tired of seeing me coming.)
Faye Frankfort continued our great advocacy tradition, and we express gratitude for her service. Drs. Earl
Kaplan, Teddy Clarke, and Ollie Foster not only forged new
trails, but also provided some fun fundraising at the KCF
golf tournaments.
The giants and visionaries of our past are often forgotten or under-appreciated. As I previously stated, we must
remain cognizant of our past.
For this reason, we honor and recognize some of the
great leaders of the past here at our HOD meeting when
continued on page 16

APMA News - March/April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - March/April 2019