The philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin claimed that nothing that has taken place should be lost to history, but that only to redeemed humanity does the past belong in its entirety. Accordingly, these pages will show that Basil O’Connor has been pulled back into view from the prolonged neglect that precedes becoming lost, and that in his vision for the March of Dimes as a quest for “Freedom from Disease” he hungered to redeem humanity for future generations of children from the disasters of polio, birth defects, and premature birth. The endeavor of biographical and historical reconstruction is never an isolated one, and the following individuals and institutions contributed in various ways with vital assistance and spirited encouragement. It is a pleasure and an honor to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to all those who invigorated this project with their knowledge, expertise, and support.
The original research for this project was supported by a Lubin–Winant Research Fellowship from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. On behalf of the March of Dimes Foundation, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Institute for this generous gift of support. To the staff of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York, I wish to express my enthusiastic thanks not only for the consummate professionalism and steadfast dedication to serving researchers from every walk of life but also to reflect their own surplus of Rooseveltian generosity back to them with the deepest appreciation. The FDR Library is an archival and historical treasure! In particular, Lynn Bassanese, Robert Clark, Clifford Laube, Franceska Macsali-Urbin, Sarah Malcolm, and Jeffrey Urbin have all provided invaluable assistance to the author, and the March of Dimes counts them as treasured friends and partners.
Angela N. H. Creager of Princeton University and Daniel Wilson of Muhlenberg College kindly reviewed a first draft of this writing, as did Charles Massey of the March of Dimes. Dr. Creager and Dr. Wilson provided helpful advice on many occasions as well as a sustained dialogue about the history of 20th-century science, medicine, and disease that proved invaluable. David Oshinsky of New York University and Peter Salk of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation did the same. Dr. Oshinsky’s vivid presentations on the history of polio remain second to none; his assistance has been consistently generous, sparkling with insight; and we thank him for his beautifully written foreword to this volume and for his many years of support. Dr. Peter Salk has shared his personal knowledge of his father Jonas Salk and the history of the
polio vaccine with exacting attention to the nuances of historical interpretation, providing many colorful details of his own experiences with Basil O’Connor. I am proud to say that Peter and I first met when we shared the podium at a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine announcement at NYU in 2005.
I extend my profound thanks to March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer Howse and to Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Edward McCabe for the opportunity to help preserve the legacy of Basil O’Connor and the March of Dimes in this monograph series. Dr. McCabe reviewed my writing with insightful criticism every step of the way, and I deeply appreciate his expert guidance and personal support. Many thanks to Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications Doug Staples and the Media Relations Team of Michele Kling, Todd Dezen, and Elizabeth Lynch whose keen sense of history as a work in progress provides a constant learning experience. I am especially grateful to Michele for her fund of historical knowledge and insightful review of a first draft of my writing. I extend my sincere thanks also to Dr. Michael Katz and to Dr. Christopher Howson for their expert tutelage regarding the international dimensions of the Foundation and for sharing their wealth of knowledge of the history of science and medicine. Thanks to Cynthia Pellegrini of the Office of Advocacy and Government Affairs, and Beverly Robertson and Lilliam Acosta-Sanchez of the Pregnancy and Newborn Health Education Center, for helpful information on many occasions; to Motoko Oinuma for technical support; and to Peter Coletta whose knowledge of film history and technology is always most helpful. To my wife, Susan Rose, Director of Program Services, March of Dimes New York State Chapter, I offer my deep appreciation for her critical insights and supportive understanding throughout this project.
Many others have provided expert knowledge and helpful assistance on more occasions than I can tell: sincere thanks to Chuck Dittrich, Deborah Gardner, Ronald Green, Joan Headley, Caitlin Hawke, Julia Marino, Jan Nichols, Adam Pellegrini, Edith Powell, and Phil Schaap. Thanks to the members of the 21st century incarnation of the Cuff Links Club in their enthusiasm for FDR, in particular Dr. Steven Lomazow, Dr. Hal “Toby” Raper, Frank Costigliola, and Robert A. Friedman. Of the many scholars who have utilized the March of Dimes Archives, I am very grateful for a stimulating rapport with Richard Altenbaugh, Suzanne Bourgeois, William Cleveland, Charlotte Jacobs, Alex Kertzner, Stephen Mawdsley, Naomi Rogers, and Durahn Taylor.
A very special thanks to Cathy Hively, granddaughter of Basil O’Connor, for sharing her reminiscences about “Doc” and Hazel in lengthy interviews on several occasions, and for her warm friendship and generous support of the March of Dimes.
Thanks also to fellow archivists Michael Shadix, Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation; Peter Carini, Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College; Christine Beauregard, Manuscripts and Special Collections, NY State Library; and Susan Watson, Hazel Braugh Records Center, American Red Cross. My editors at Elsevier have been most helpful and efficient; they are Molly McLaughlin, Erin Hill-Parks, and Catherine A. van der Laan.
Finally, this project could not have been completed without the assistance of Saira Suri, an undergraduate attending Vanderbilt University and summer intern at the March of Dimes in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Saira volunteered her assistance with research, bibliography, footnotes, style, and organization. She also helped to organize two key collections of the March of Dimes Archives: the papers and records of Dr. Michael Katz and the Office of Government Affairs Records. Her help was timely and invaluable—thank you, Saira!
This volume is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Charles L. Massey, President of the March of Dimes from 1978 to 1989. Charlie loved the March of Dimes, and he further stimulated my exploration of its history. In 20 recorded interviews in 2004 and countless occasions afterward he related his personal experiences to me, an unforgettable journey which I will treasure always. As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby:
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
David W. Rose, Archivist, March of Dimes
September 2015