Hey look - it is the March of Dimes Poster Child all grown up! Dan Moury and his lovely wife Carolyn were out and about in Newton, NC yesterday and I was the paparazzi!
Actually, just prior to taking this photo, I was in the Catawba County Museum of History with other members of a very interested audience hanging on to every word that came out of Dan's mouth.
In 1944, at age 9 Dan was a patient in the Miracle of Hickory emergency polio hospital. The following year he posed with his nurse for a photograph which served as a model for this poster.
Dan's father took 8mm color film of various aspects of the emergency hospital, spliced the footage, added titles, and took them to clubs and civic groups around the state in the years following our epidemic.
Dan is a superb speaker with a relaxed manner and with the assistance of Catawba County History Museum Director, Melinda Herzog, he narrated the silent film for us.
The audience was perfectly lovely as well. There was a great turnout of locals who remembered the epidemic as well as some younger folks who, like me, discovered it recently through BLUE.
Best of all, there were a number of former patients from the hospital. I hope I can connect with some of them very soon. They might not be celebrities but their stories have enriched my life and I would love to explore them further.
The next Miracle of Hickory event is coming on July 12. The paparazzi will be there. Stay tuned for more info!
