DR. HERBERT JAMES MORTLOCK VEAR, former Western States Chiropractic College president, and a respected leader in the chiropractic profession passed away peacefully February 2, 2012 at the age of 87 years. Dr. Vear had a long and integral role in the development of what is now the University of Western States and will be greatly missed in the health care community.
Dr. Vear led Western States Chiropractic College through one of its most difficult periods. In July 1979, Dr. Vear was appointed President of WSCC. WSCC had just lost its accreditation by the Council on Chiropractic Education the month before, but Dr. Vear refused to accept CCE’s decision without a fight. Â In late January 1981, Vear and his team of representatives appeared before the CCE Commission on Accreditation. The college had submitted the best Self-Study it had ever written and the Commission on Accreditation granted Western States Chiropractic College accredited status for a period of three years. In 1982 Dr. Vear submitted an application for regional accreditation through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, a recognition the college received shortly thereafter and enjoys to this day.
Under Dr. Vear’s guidance, WSCC established its reputation within the profession as a leader in chiropractic academics, including research and teaching. It was under Dr. Vear that WSCC lead the 1980 formation of the Chiropractic Library Consortium and its Index to the Chiropractic Literature, an important source work for the chiropractic periodic literature.
Dr. Vear is one of the two individuals most strongly responsible for the 1984 policy revision of the American Public Health Association (APHA) toward chiropractic. In collaboration with Rand Baird, M.P.H., D.C., Dr. Vear was able to persuade the APHA to soften its stance toward chiropractic, and chiropractors were admitted as professional members. It was an important step in the legitimization of chiropractic, and in establishing working relations with a wide range of health service providers. Dr. Vear was elected to APHA’s Governing Council for 1985-86 and again during 1989-1992. He served as chairman of the APHA’s Chiropractic Forum during 1989-1991.
Dr. Vear’s positive influence on UWS and the chiropractic profession cannot be overstated. For a more-in-depth look at the life and career of Dr. Vear, please take a few minutes to read a short biography posted here .
