Victor Strang, D.C., FPAC, retires after 43 years of teaching
Victor Strang, D.C., FPAC (Main, ’77), has taught students at Palmer College of Chiropractic for more than four decades. During his time here, he’s taught more than 25,000 chiropractors. Dr. Strang, a legend within Palmer and the chiropractic community, retired in March 2021. He leaves behind a legacy of chiropractic philosophy that, by way of the thousands of students he helped shape into chiropractors, has helped an exponential number of people around the world.
“As an educator, I feel I’ve experienced the best of both traditional chiropractic principles and contemporary evolution, as well as the expression of those principles. My mentors were Dr. Galen Price, Dr. Virgil Strang, Dr. Fred Barge, and many others who embodied our rich history and philosophic understanding,” says Dr. Strang.
“When I teach chiropractic philosophy and history, my inspiration comes from the pioneers of chiropractic who gave birth to it, nurtured it, and fiercely defended it against powerful resistance. It’s because of them that we still exist as a separate and distinct health profession.”
Dr. Strang’s tenure has spanned the past one-third of the profession’s 125 years, and he’s been apart of—and witness to—its monumental growth.
“During my academic tenure, I experienced firsthand the Wilk lawsuit; the birth and development of rigorous research by our profession; the opening of doors for collaboration with other professions in the military, the VA, professional and Olympic athletics; and many other exciting and empowering changes. It kept me engaged and motivated to keep abreast of all of this. In the face of all this change, I’ve always tried to maintain a balance between our traditional principles and the need to be relevant in chiropractic’s contemporary landscape.”
Dr. Strang has continued the legacy left behind by his father, Virgil Strang, D.C. (Main, ’49). Combined, there has been a strong passionately teaching and caring for both students and patients for 70 years.
“My father was an example to me and the profession in ways that I’ve only come to fully realize in recent years. He was not a flashy, flamboyant, self-promoting man, neither personally nor professionally. His influence was made partly by his intellect—he had absolute command of his discipline. His professional demeanor was just as impactful. He was modest and conservative, and he interacted equally well with medical professionals and chiropractic colleagues. His 47-year academic career inspired generations of graduates.”
Dr. Strang, who has given of his time and talent over the past 43 years, has also shown his dedication to students and the future of the chiropractic profession through philanthropy, giving back to the College for the past 38 consecutive years.
As he reflects on his career and the past and future of the profession, he says, “It’s my hope that current and future students of chiropractic will nurture and protect the right of our profession to chart its own path, and that they’ll honor those who gave them the freedom to do this. As they find themselves increasingly involved in broad aspects of natural health care, I hope they don’t lose sight of the fact that this profession started with a simple spinal adjustment. In our own private practice, the adjustment was the only service we provided, and it supported a practice that spanned nearly seventy years.”
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Palmer College of Chiropractic is the first and largest chiropractic college. More chiropractors have graduated from Palmer than any other chiropractic institution. Interested in learning more about attending Palmer College? Visit palmer.edu.
