Robert Dillon
Practice
Member of the Strauss Chiropractic Center since 1973
This month, we are proud to showcase Mr. Robert Dillon in our series
of exceptional prac- tice members. Mr. Dillon is an extraordinary
member of the Strauss Chiropractic Center for many reasons, not the
least of which is at the age of 80, he has been having his spine cared
for by a chiropractor for over 52. Mr. Dillon actually lived through
and experienced chiropractic history that I have only learned about
in books. In fact, the very first chiropractic adjustment was given
in Davenport, Iowa on September 18, 1895 (you may remember the cake
we had in the office celebrating chiropractic’s 107th birthday). That
means Mr. Dillon has been involved with chiropractic for nearly half
of the profession’s entire existence.
Indirectly, his chiropractic story started in the early 30s, when
he was just 9 years old. He and some friends had been playing on some
railroad gondolas when he fell and hit his head on a steel protrusion.
He was knocked out and suffered a laceration of his scalp as well
as serious whiplash from the accident. Mr. Dillon notes that at the
time it was not known that spinal trau- mas could cause serious complications
later in life. Soon thereafter, he began to struggled with constant
headaches. He recalls that it wasn’t until July 1942 when he enlisted
in the U.S. Ma- rines to serve in WWII that they subsided. He noted
with gratitude what a blessing it was that his headaches disappeared
the entire three years and four months that he was overseas in the
war. (I imagine the intensity of being a Marine at war would dwarf
all sorts of other problems in one’s life!)
Later, after his return to the States, Mr. Dillon took a job at an
auto repair shop and while working on cars he developed agonizing
pain in his back and legs. Doctors at the VA clinic gave him some
instructions but were not optimistic and even told him outright that
his condition was very hard to cure. He remembers not being able to
imagine living with such excruciating pain the rest of his life. It
was during this time that a fellow worker mentioned chiropractic to
him. In July 1950, desperate as he was and ready to try anything,
he saw a chiropractor in Bris- tol, Dr. James Roebuck, a former Navy
veteran in July 1950. His condition improved rapidly and markedly
under Dr. Roebuck’s care and he continued to go regularly for many
years. Even after Dr. Roebuck turned his practice over to Dr. Carl
Adams, Mr. Dillon visited the chiropractor regularly until he retired.
Then, after more than 20 years of having his spine checked, Mr. Dillon
found Dr. Joe Strauss and was impressed with the knowledge that Joe
did not turn anyone away, regardless of their handicaps, age, ailments
or ability to pay. To date, Mr. Dillon has been coming to the Strauss
Chiropractic Center, almost 30 years now--a total of 52 years of chiroprac-
tic in all.
Mr. Dillon is an exceptional practice member because he is an exceptional
man—period. He often tells us that his yard work and household chores
are getting tougher at his age, but he stays faithful to his weekly
visits. His mind is sharp and his laugh is an absolute delight. He
values God and his freedom and his patriotism is obvious in the picture
below. Chiropractic changed his life around so completely that he
counts it among the blessings in his life. Thank you Mr. Dillon for
sharing your chiropractic past with us. We love you and look forward
to sharing the future together.
© Strauss Chiropractic Center
2003
