Awards & Recognition

The award publicly recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exemplary activity in four key areas: leadership, philanthropy, industry achievement and service. Recipients are formally recognized each year at the Symposium Awards & Scholarship Luncheon.

Nominees are measured against all four standards, not just one.

Every Spirit of Logan honoree since the award was established.

• 

  Debra Hoffman, DC ('80)

  2026 Recipient

  Dr. Hoffman broke barriers as the first woman to practice chiropractic in Hillsborough County, Florida, and operated her practice for 40 years. She held leadership roles with several chiropractic organizations and served on Logan's Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2016, including as chair. "I get to stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before me," said Dr. Hoffman. "It's an opportunity to say thank you to Logan and to everyone who made my professional life possible."

• 

  Lori Bents, DC ('84)

  2025 Recipient

  Dr. Bents has provided chiropractic care for more than 40 years while giving back to Logan and the profession through teaching, professional service and philanthropy. She established the Dr. Lori Bents Scholarship to support future chiropractors and serves as Wisconsin's representative for the International Chiropractic Association. "I received scholarships that made a big difference, so I wanted to give back in the same way."

• 

  Patrick Montgomery, DC ('76), MS ('15)

  2025 Recipient

  Dr. Montgomery has advanced the profession as a Logan professor, practitioner, mentor and professional leader. He helped raise $3.3 million for Logan's Montgomery Health Center and has taught Logan Basic Technique to students and professionals nationwide for more than 45 years. "I've mentored countless students as a professor. I've shared the Logan Basic Technique with students and professionals nationwide."

• 

  Margaret Freihaut, DC ('79)

  2024 Recipient

  Dr. Freihaut has spent her career advocating for patients' access to chiropractic care and advancing the profession at the state and national levels. A trailblazer for women in chiropractic, she became the first female president of the Missouri State Chiropractors Association and has twice received the organization's Doctor of the Year award. "I am proud of how far the university and the profession have come."

• 

  Lois Ward, DC ('63)

  2024 Recipient

  Dr. Ward operated Ward Chiropractic Clinic with her husband while remaining deeply involved with Logan. As a member of the Board of Trustees, she helped Logan's chiropractic program obtain full accreditation in 1978. Her continued generosity has supported Logan's campus and the Activator Technique Lab. "Logan was more than a school to me. It was like my professional home."

• 

  Roy Hillgartner, DC ('69)

  2023 Recipient

  Dr. Hillgartner has taught DC students at Logan for 50 years and has operated his own practice in St. Louis since 1972. He has served as a member of the International Chiropractic Association and was appointed to the Missouri State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. "The idea that one's lifetime of practicing and teaching may have a positive impact on Logan's future is a humbling thought."

• 

  Douglas Cox, DC ('79), DABCO

  2023 Recipient

  Across 40 years of practice, Dr. Cox served in numerous positions with the Virginia Chiropractic Association, including president from 1999 to 2000. He was elected Chiropractor of the Year by the association in 1986 and 2000, and represented Virginia in the American Chiropractic Association in 2001. "Helping make a difference in people's lives, students' lives and at Logan is rewarding enough."

• 

  Arlan Fuhr, DC ('61)

  2022 Recipient

  Dr. Fuhr is the founder and chairman of Activator Methods International and co-inventor of the Activator Adjusting Instrument and the Activator Method chiropractic technique. Used in more than 70 percent of all chiropractic clinics, it is the world's most widely used instrument adjusting technique. "There is a lot of joy in giving, and Logan is a great institution to give to."

• 

  Howard Loomis Jr., DC ('67), FIACA

  2022 Recipient

  A second-generation chiropractor, Dr. Loomis used his knowledge of physiology, biochemistry and enzymology to develop a science-based method of determining nutritional stresses on the body, an educational format approved by the Wisconsin State Education Approval Board. He has trained thousands of health care professionals through the Food Enzyme Institute. "Earning this award is an honor, and I am thankful to leave behind a legacy."

• 

  Richard M. Bruns, DC, FICC ('80)

  2021 Recipient

  Dr. Bruns has dedicated his career to progressing the chiropractic profession while championing equality in health care for all patients. Through decades of service in the American Chiropractic Association, two terms as president of the Maine Chiropractic Association and government appointments to health committees, he has contributed significantly to legislative efforts advancing patient-centered care. He is a past member and chairman of Logan's Board of Trustees.

• 

  Norman W. Kettner, DC, DACBR, FICC ('80)

  2021 Recipient

  Dean of research and professor emeritus of Logan's Department of Radiology, Dr. Kettner has worked to further chiropractic through research. He spent two decades collaborating with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, studying the neuroscience underlying integrative approaches to care. His work has benefitted students, improved clinical outcomes and influenced health care imaging nationwide.

• 

  William D. Purser, DC ('53)

  2021 Recipient

  Dr. Purser has a long legacy of philanthropic support of the university, making commitments toward campaigns, student scholarships and capital projects such as the William D. Purser, DC Center and the Honoring Tradition campaign to renovate the Tower. He has also referred more than a dozen students to Logan.

Nominations are reviewed each year ahead of the Symposium Awards & Scholarship Luncheon. To nominate a graduate, or to ask what a strong nomination looks like, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at development@logan.edu or (636) 230-1877, or reach Leesha Andereck at Leesha.Andereck@logan.edu.

Looking for Logan's institutional rankings and publication recognition instead? See Rankings & Accolades.