While 46 new chiropractors reminisced about their last three and a half years at Sherman, graduates of the college’s first class traveled back in time 28 years to a humble but memorable ceremony held at a local movie theater in 1976 in Spartanburg, SC. Sherman College’s December 2004 commencement ceremony proved to be a memorable one for both the 100th graduating class and the “Pioneer” graduates in attendance.

As the first chiropractors to graduate from Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, members of the Class of 1976 are often affectionately called “Pioneers.” Thirty-eight such Pioneers walked across the stage at Spartanburg’s Westgate Theater (the college did not yet have a permanent facility) to receive the doctor of chiropractic degree during the school’s first commencement ceremony. It was only fitting that the date of this event was September 18, the anniversary of chiropractic’s founding by D.D. Palmer.

Twenty-eight years and three months later, 46 new doctors of chiropractic from around the world received their degrees on the college’s permanent campus in the Springfield section of Spartanburg. The December graduates enjoyed a light breakfast with family and friends while several of the Pioneer graduates gathered for a reception in their honor. December graduates and Pioneers each received a marble paperweight with an engraved plaque commemorating the day.

Alex Carmelo Roa of Puerto Rico, recipient of both the Milton W. Garfunkel Award and the B.J. Palmer Philosophy Distinction Award, presented a rousing farewell address to his classmates during the ceremony. George A. Berry, Jr., of Florida received the Service Distinction Award. Roxzanne B. Breland, B.S., M.Ed., D.C., of Greenville, SC, gave the commencement address, and Sherman’s Dean of Clinical Sciences Leslie M. Wise, B.A., D.C., gave the charge to the graduates.

For more on the college’s 100th graduation ceremony, read the article on our web site.