Charles M. Magistro, PT, DPT(Hon), DrSci(Hon), FAPTA, died on April 21 at the grand age of 91 years. His career spanned more than 6 decades, and his leadership, vision, and passion for practice excellence had a direct impact on the patients he treated and on all of us, whether we are clinicians, researchers, or faculty members.
Let me start with the bare facts, which are impressive enough. Charles and Noël Magistro were married for 68 years and raised 5 children; their son died at the age of 26 of a brain tumor in 1985. Their 4 daughters have added 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild to this remarkable family. In 1946, Charles was discharged from the US Navy as a First Class Pharmacist's Mate. He went to undergraduate school at Pomona College in California and received a certificate in physical therapy from Columbia University in 1950 (along with 400 other physical therapist students across the country). More than 60 years ago, Charles led the effort to establish Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center's physical therapy and rehabilitation department. The first of its kind in Southern California, today this service is one of the largest outpatient rehabilitation programs in the tri-county area. It was named the Charles M. Magistro Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Center in 2015.
Not satisfied with leading by example, Charles became active in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the California Chapter. He was a member of APTA's nominating and finance committees; served on APTA's Board of Directors from 1967 to 1973, including as treasurer; and was APTA president from 1973 to 1976. During his presidency, he oversaw the first formal professionally managed Combined Sections Meeting, which was held in Washington, DC, in 1976. He helped terminate an APTA/American Medical Association collaboration in favor of APTA's own accrediting program (1976), and the association's income/expense budget reached the $1 million mark.1(pp 209,211) Recognized by his peers for his leadership and service, Charles received the Lucy Blair Service Award in 1977 and the Henry O. Kendall and Florence P. Kendall Practice Award in 1985; he was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 1990.
In 1987, Charles delivered the 22nd Mary McMillan Lecture, in which he addressed the concerns facing our profession in the areas of practice, education, and research. During this lecture, he stated, “I have great faith that the future of our profession will be bright, despite the obstacles that must be overcome. I base this conviction on observing the younger clinicians in the profession whose base of knowledge and competencies…will demand that our services be included in whatever form of health care this nation provides.”2
After serving as president of APTA, his next challenge was to promote research that would provide evidence to guide clinical practice. Charles is credited with developing the struggling PT Fund into a foundation in 1979, and he went on to become the first chair of the Foundation for Physical Therapy (1979–1982), serving on its Board of Trustees first as a member and then as an emeritus member1(pp214–215) until his death. He received the Bartlett Trustee Recognition Service Award in 1989 and the Spirit of Philanthropy Award in 2014. The Charles M. Magistro Distinguished Service Award was established to honor his sustained efforts to “grow” the Foundation—which to date has awarded $17 million dollars to promote research efforts. His legacy includes the Magistro Family Foundation Endowment Fund, which supports the Magistro Family Foundation Research Grant program.
In 2006, Worthingham Fellows were asked to identify the most significant advance in the past 50 years. Charles answered,
Numerous things have occurred during the past 50 years that have elevated the status of physical therapy from a technical to a professional level. In my opinion, the most significant have been: 1) the enactment of state practice acts providing physical therapists with legal status to practice in given states; 2) gaining status to accredit our own educational programs; 3) being identified as a provider for Medicare services in 1965; and 4) the establishment of the Private Practice section of APTA in 1955. A long dissertation could be written to support the rationale for selecting these events.3(p66)
Think how remarkable it is that a physical therapist who graduated in 1950—and witnessed so many changes—still sustained such a powerful love for his profession! He adapted, remaining current with every contemporary health care challenge that we encountered, and he retained an important political voice within the association. Candidates for leadership positions in APTA traveled to California to seek his approval even when he was in his ninth decade. He continued to attend NEXT and Combined Sections Meetings until he was 90 years of age. We were not just paying homage to a former leader when we saw him at these meetings. We were soliciting his opinion on the dilemmas that we were facing.
In my office I have a photograph of Charles standing with Steve Rose and Eugene “Mike” Michels (Figure). In my opinion, these 3 individuals led revolutionary change in our association and helped us achieve the professional status we have today. Steve died in 1989, and Mike died in 1996. After Mike died, Charles called me and volunteered to be my mentor, so I have had the privilege, as have many others, of learning from this man. My academic institution, Arcadia University—like many others—named a lectureship for Charles. He would attend or “beam in” to hear the message of the speakers as they inspired the next generation of our profession. The students and their interest in our profession fueled his passion. When Arcadia awarded him an honorary doctoral degree, he questioned whether he was worthy of this distinction!
Charles Magistro, Eugene Michels, and Steven J. Rose.
Many APTA members have stories that they could share about the influence that Charles had on us and our profession. But the story that stands out for me is actually one that Charles told about his own father, a shoemaker. Charles talked about the pride with which his father created a pair of shoes for a client, and he likened that pride in creation to the pride in training future clinicians. He was very concerned that our focus on including all of the contemporary science in our curricula might sacrifice our profession's mission to produce effective clinicians who use the best evidence to deliver high-quality care. He wanted excellence in all domains. Charles' focus was on superior clinical education experiences so that, like his father's apprentices learning to make shoes, our students will be prepared to practice with compassion and professionalism in an evolving health care system.
Charles, we heard your pleas. Thank you for pushing us to place the quality of our practice ahead of the demand for productivity in this very difficult time. The vision and passion that sustained your lifelong love affair with physical therapy will now sustain us.
- © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association
