Stanley Paris Award Lecture. Reflections on the history and future of orthopaedic physical therapy

Carolyn Wadsworth, MS, PT, CHT, OCS, deliver the 1998 Paris Distinguished Service Award Lecture at the Combined Sections Meeting in Boston in February. Wadsworth is the fifth recipient of the Paris Award, which is the Orthopaedic Section's highest honor given to commemorate a member's exceptional and enduring service. The Paris Distinguished Service Award was established in 1990 and is named after Stanley V. Paris, PhD, PT, founder and first president of the Orthopaedic Section. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Paris immigrated to the U.S. in 1966. He developed physical therapy practices in Boston, Hamilton, Bermuda, and Atlanta; established the Institute of Graduate Health Sciences in Atlanta, GA; and is currently president of the University of St. Augustine, St. Augustine, FL. Paris is a strong advocate of assertive professional practice, clinical specialization, and strengthening leadership in physical therapy. He also champions wellness, exemplified by his personal achievements in sailing the Atlantic Ocean, swimming the English Channel, and completing the Ironman Triathlon. Carolyn Wadsworth, recipient of the 1998 Paris Award, has served as secretary and president of the Orthopaedic Section and is currently editor of the Orthopaedic Section's Home Study Course. She owns a private practice, teaches nationally, and has written two books, Examination and Mobilization of the Spine and Extremities (1988) and Orthopedic Review for Physical Therapists (1998). Major components of the speech she presented at the Orthopaedic Section Awards Ceremony are highlighted in this article.