History - 1962

Glen Engwall wrote a very nice letter September 12, 1991, in which he stated:  "I was hired as the manager of the Hutchinson Clinic in 1962.  I was introduced to, helped and advised by the group known as the Southern Minnesota Clinic Managers.  I was invited to join this group because one of our doctors was a personal friend of H.P. "Danny" Danielson.  Danny was the manager of the Albert Lea Clinic at this time.  I knew, and I admitted, that this was a different type of work.  However, Danny, Chuck Lowery, the Lehighs, Frank Wilkus and Woody Glad, took this ‘new kid on the block' under their wing.  They were very helpful at these once-a-month meetings.  I passed this information (what I had learned) on to the doctors and nurses on our staff.

"I honestly believe that those first Minnesota state meetings with memories of the fun (at Alexandria in particular), as a highlight in my 16 years with a great group of wonderful people.  When the last work session finished in late afternoon, our wives would join us at poolside to relax and get better acquainted.

"Then, the dinner after at a nice place.  The state organization was small in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Maxine and I didn't miss a year and really looked forward to seeing the Costellow, Gerbers, Ravnholdts, Wilkus' and Anderson couples along with many other great people.  It is my understanding that, from our small beginning, the MMGMA now has a membership of 500 or more.  Congratulations!"

William Costello joined the Nicollet Clinic on July 23, 1962, succeeding Robert Newell.  Also, in 1962, George Lehigh succeeded George Scherer as business manager of the Mankato Clinic.  George Lehigh had joined the clinic in June 1958.  He states that, "In the early 1960s the Minnesota Association was the envy of many administrators in other states."

Sundance Medical Clinic Ltd. was founded this year in Shakopee.

The 12th Annual Conference of the Minnesota Association was held in Mankato in 1962 with George Lehigh of Mankato and Woody Glad of Worthington co-chairing the meeting.

Minnesota members of NACM numbered 23 including Harold P. Danielson, who first became a member of the association in this year.

The 36th Annual Conference of the NACM was held at the Pick-Congress Hotel in Chicago on Oct. 22-24, 1962, under the leadership of R. Putnam Kingsbury (FACCM) of the Mayo Clinic.  The conference featured a case study.  Registration was satisfying at more than 250 out of a total membership which by now exceeded 500.

Important topics included the continuing IRS foot dragging to resist incorporation of group practices who were becoming increasingly interested in the corporate form of organization in connection with more centralized direction, limited liability and accessing the sheltered benefits and retirement plans which for some time had been available to corporations generally.  A number of Minnesota clinics moved to adopt the corporate form of organization following the publication of rules a year or two earlier and despite the continuing resistance of the IRS.  Among these clinics, were the Duluth Clinic, the Mankato Clinic, the Nicollet Clinic and the Paul Larson Ob/Gyn Clinic.

A major educational event in 1962 was the Harvard case study which was chaired by Harold Scherer, and which proved to be a signal and satisfying educational experience for many members.

At the conference, a vote was taken on a constitutional amendment which would change the name of the association.  The vote was not unanimous and thus the subject was held over for reconsideration in 1963.

At this conference, also, the association started serious discussions about the need for an association history.

The Midwest Section took a major step forward in holding its first annual stand-alone meeting at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, Ill., March 23-25, 1962.  The first officers were Donald W. Moore, President, Hammond Clinic, Munster, Ind.; Vice President Francis W. Wenzel, Manager, Springfield Clinic, Springfield, Ill.; Secretary Elsie Schultz, Manager, W.J. Eagan and Associates, Milwaukee; and Treasurer Edward J. Neidig, Manager, Frederick G. Smith Clinic, Marion, Ohio.

Supporting Mr. Moore and the other officers in this new beginning were other notables from NACM including R. Putnam Kingsbury, President; Delmar E. Caywood of the Smith Glynn Calloway Clinic in Springfield, Mo., talking on public relations; L.S. Doyle, Manager of the Galesburg Clinic, Galesburg, Ill., talking on budgets; and Vernon Tock, Manager of Carle Hospital Clinic, Urbana, Ill., talking on doctor/manager relations.  Other significant subjects included professional associations and pension plans; and IBM data processing.

The Midwest Section was also the site of a Midwest Institute for clinic managers on May 17-19, 1962.  This was held at the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and was sponsored by the College of Business Administration of the University of Nebraska in cooperation with ACCM.  The conference fee was $30.00 and housing was available for $5.00 each in a twin room or $75.0 in a single room.  The title of the institute was "Planned Personal and Personnel Performance."