My generation was the first generation to get the polio vaccine and as a result, my generation was the last generation to deal with polio.
My dad had a friend who had polio. His name was Mr. Clark and my dad called him Click Clark. I'm not sure what his real first was because everyone called him Click Clark.
I didn't realize it until after my dad died so I never got to confirm this but I think they called him "Click" because of the sound his braces and crutches made when he walked.
Mr. Clark was a hell of a nice guy and my dad went to visit him quite often. I can still remember where he lived (Bowles Park off Roosevelt Ave near the Chicopee line) and I have very vivid memories of his car. It had no gas or brake pedals but it did have a lot of levers and knobs on the steering wheel.
Mr. Clark had a tough life without the use of his legs but he soldiered on and was successful in his endeavors.
But that's not my point.
My point is that we, as a species, erect monuments to people who lead us, people who fight wars, people who inspire us but we don't erect monuments to people who save us.
There should be a monument to Jonas Salk. His birthday should be celebrated with more fanfare than the Fourth of July. There should be poems and songs about him.
The man eradicated a disease that shattered the lives of everyone it touched. And trust me, it touched a lot of people. We are frightened by ebola but ebola got nothin' on polio. In the 1950s, thousands of people died every year in the United States alone and tens of thousands of people were left with some form of paralysis.
Don't even ask what was going on in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East....
You should all say thank you to the memory of Doctor Salk. Without him, there is a pretty good chance you either wouldn't be here or your nickname would be "Click".
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