It was my honor to serve as ASHT’s Historian during our 20th Anniversary in 1997. During that time, I had the opportunity to put together a scrapbook of pictures and remembrances from our first 20 years. I was struck by the incredible progress our society had made during those years – from the six original therapists to more than 3,000, and from a budget of $1,000 to one of $1.5 million. This progress is a credit to not only the founding members, but also to the current members who continue to strive to promote our association and profession.
Over the last 15 years, ASHT remains the leader in hand therapy. Through continuing education, research, networking and the promotion of our profession, ASHT has provided its members and our patients with the support needed for excellence in therapy.
In the spirit of that progress, ASHT has added a new online photo resource where you can peruse photos and articles from the last 35 years. Many of the remembrances were written by those instrumental in the evolution of ASHT, including original leaders from the Journal of Hand Therapy, Hand Therapy Certification Commission, and American Hand Therapy Foundation. Our hairdos might have changed a little, but our passion for hand therapy remains strong.
I hope you find pride and inspiration in what we have accomplished.
Ginger Clark, OTR, CHT
View the entire album: ASHT - The First 20 Years
ASHT Organizational Committee
Mary Kasch, Karen Kingsley (Lauckhardt), Judy Bell (Krotoski),
Bonnie Olivett, Pegge Carter (Wilson) and Evelyn Mackin