Local author is Great Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (July 22, 2008 ) – Local author Georgia Warner Walter, B.S., D.O.Ed. (Hon.), was selected as one of the American Osteopathic Association’s Great Pioneers in Osteopathic Medicine in May and will be honored during a ceremony in Chicago on July 18. Walter will join 39 other Great Pioneers at the induction ceremony.

As part of the AOA’s Greatness Campaign, AOA members nominated D.O.s, basic scientists, and laymen who have pioneered new frontiers for the osteopathic profession. Walter was nominated by her peers for this honor, and will become one of the AOA’s first 40 Great Pioneers.

Walter wrote “The First School of Osteopathic Medicine: A Chronicle,” which was published for A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine during its centennial celebration. Walter says the book, which took more than 10 years to complete, began as a short essay written for Kirksville magazine. The essay, titled “The Beginning,” was well-received and prompted the college to request a full exploration of the school’s past to coincide with its 100-year birthday. The book was published on time in 1992.

Walter served as director of the A.T. Still Memorial Library at KCOM from 1969 to 1986. Upon her retirement, she was awarded the honorary doctor of osteopathic education degree. She has written three books on osteopathic medicine in addition to publishing “First School.” Her other titles include “Osteopathic Medicine: Past and Present,” “Women in Osteopathic Medicine: Historical Perspectives,” and “The First D.O.”

Walter is passionate about her belief that the unique brand of medicine called “osteopathy” still needs further exploration and study. “There are a lot of good books about its history,” she says, “but I think we’re still missing a lot. There is a lot more work that could be done.”

Walter received the regional Daughters of the American Revolution “Women in History” award and won the Gottlieb Prize from the National Medical Library Association in 1979 for “Osteopathic Medicine: Past and Present.” In 1990, she received the Living Tribute Award from KCOM, and the reading room of the ATSU library was named in her honor.