RARITAN VALLEY POST-POLIO SUPPOR

1987		Raritan Valley Post-Polio Support Group, founded. Leader: Joyce Houser. Meeting place: Somerset County Library in Bridgewater, first Saturday of the month.
1988	March	Initial issue of Newsline, published. Editor: Joan Swain
	March	Letter explaining PPS prepared for patients to give their doctors.
	April	Proposed Proclamation sent to Governor Thomas Kean requesting the week of June 1-7 be designated Post Polio Survivors Week.
	May 21	Dr. Richard Bruno and Nancy Frick present a PPS Workshop on the cause and treatment of PPS. Sponsored by Raritan Valley, Central Jersey, and Hunterdon County Post-Polio Support Groups, 30 people attend
	June	Governor Kean proclaims June 1-7 Post-Polio Survivors Week. News releases and contacts generate a number of articles in newspapers around the state. A major story appears in The Sunday Star-Ledger, generating 50 phone calls from people wanting more information. An AP feature story pictures some group members.
	June	Joyce Houser attends G.I.N.I. Conference in St. Louis on the late effects of polio
	September 10	Stuart A. Hirsch, M.D., presents “The Orthopedic Aspects of the Late Effects of Polio” and accepts the request to be medical advisor to the group.
	September	N.J. PPS Support Groups & Leaders—Raritan Valley (Bridgewater) Joyce Houser; Central Jersey (East Brunswick) Susan Turner; Hunterdon County (Flemington) Jane Benett; North Jersey (Hackensack) Susanne Wynkoop; Shore (Neptune) Harry & Muriel Johnson.
	October	RV Committee Chairs Named: Jean Brogden, finance; Lois Frezza, hospitality; Joyce Houser, programs; Don Jensen, nominating; Joe Rubin, development; Joan Swain, communications; Joan Vastola, membership.
		Meeting held preliminary to obtaining tax-exempt and non-profit status. Mission statement prepared and read to group. By-laws in preparation
		Post-Polio Reference Collection Presented to Somerset County Library. (Collections later presented to Morristown Memorial Hospital, Bridgewater East High School and Somerset Medical Center.)
		One-year anniversary of RVPPSG celebrated with a cake.
1989	February	PPS Information Brochure prepared--Joan Swain, editor.
	April	Membership drive brings number of members to 95.
	April	AT&T Pioneers support Newsline thanks to retiree Jean Brogdon.
	July	Post-Polio Exhibit at Somerset County Library, prepared by Joyce Houser and Lois Frezza receives press attention.
	November	First N.J. Conference on the Late Effects of Polio, October 13, 1990, announced with Lauro Halstead, M.D, as featured speaker.
		NPR Reporter Maeve McGoran meets with the group and asks questions about PPS. She also meets separately with Joyce Houser, Jean Brogdon, and Joan Swain in preparation for a half-hour documentary for March broadcast.
		Martinsville P.O. established for “Postpolio Conference of N.J.”
1990	February	Conference sponsors announced: Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lederle Laboratories; March of Dimes; N.J. Easter Seals; Roche Pharmaceuticals.
	March	“Polio Survivors,” the PBS program on PPS, sent to all 300 member stations for broadcast on April 12, the 35^th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine.
	March	Faculty of 1990 Conference announced: John R. Bach, M.D.; Ruth Bell, D.N.Sc.; Rod Chronister, M.D.; Lauro S. Halstead, M.D.; Joan Headley, M.S.; Stuart A. Hirsch, M.D.; Richard Iorio, M.D.; Pat Outland; Wen-Hsien Wu, M.C.
	August	Craig Kuentz designs a map to our SCL meeting place.
	October	Over 350 people attend the N.J. Conference on the Late Effects of Polio, including 55 from out of state and 55 health-care professionals. Dr. Halstead and Dr. Wen-Hsien Wu cancel and are ably replaced by Dr. Neil Cashman and Dr. Joseph Yang. A representative of Governor Jim Florio attends and reads a letter of congratulations from the Governor to “the New Jersey Post-Polio Support Groups for providing a network for polio survivors and the unimmunized.”
	November	Conference tapes made available
1991	June	Governor Jim Florio proclaims June 2-8 Post Polio Awareness Week
	October	The Post-Polio Support Groups of New Jersey, organized in 1990 to sponsor the state’s first polio conference, becomes the New Jersey Polio Network. President, Jean Brogdon; Vice President, Dorothy McDowell; Secretary, Ruth Mihalenko; Treasurer, Joyce Houser.
	December	Dr. Hubert Alyea, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University, polio survivor, and RV member, enthralls members with stories of his rich and productive life as a scientist and teacher. He served as mentor to Bob Miner, also an RV member.
1992	December	Arthur Siegfried, Esq., president of the Shore group, speaks about living wills at the holiday brunch.
1992	March	A Breathing Awareness and Techniques workshop held at SCL
1993	April	*Annual N.J. Polio Network meeting held at Princeton Marriott Hotel. Hugh Gallagher, author of FDR’s Splendid Deception, is guest speaker.*
1994	April	Annual meeting held at the Hilton Resort and Spa in Long Branch.
	May	Raritan Valley PPSG meetings move to the Manville Library at the suggestion of Jack Trombadore, who grew up in Manville.
	June	Governor Christine Todd Whitman proclaims the first week in June to be Polio Survivors Week.
	November 30	Meeting with Deputy Commissioner of the N.J. Board of Health to discuss reaching 30,000 polio survivors in New Jersey.
1995	April 30	Annual NJPN Conference, held at Ocean Place Hilton Resort & Spa, in Long Branch. (Conferences held annually through 2007 at various locations not listed because of Timeline space limitations.)
1997	February	Betty and Ed Gill are instrumental in the successful drive to require responsible parties to remove snow from handicap parking areas and curb cuts. Petitions circulated at December meeting.
1998	September	Leonard and Adele Blumberg are honored as “Outstanding Citizens of the Year” by the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce
1998	October 4	Joyce Houser and Arthur Siegfried are married.
1999	November	Recognition of the 50^th anniversary of the polio epidemic of 1949 is a topic of the meeting. A photo is taken of survivors and a discussion held.
2000	July 22	An Atlantic Highlands Luncheon River Cruise is sponsored by the Raritan Valley and Monmouth County groups.
	November 4	Mary Alice O’Neil’s daughter, Theresa, discusses her Master’s degree paper on polio.
	November	NJPN is now on the Internet, followed by Raritan Valley.
2001	March	Arthur Siegfried, Esq., speaks on a wide range of legal topics including wills, long-term-care insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, nursing homes.
	August	A first summer get-together is held at the Red Lobster Inn.
	October	Jack Trombadore Memorial Gift Presented to Manville Library for books and accessibility.
2002	August	Dinner at the New Orleans Family Restaurant continues the tradition started last year to hold a summer social event.
	September	Governor James McGreevey proclaims 2002 as the Year of the Polio Survivor and September 2002 as Polio Survivors Month.
	November 12	NJPN sponsors a Support Group Leader’s Meeting at the Bridgewater Marriott Hotel. Several members from the RV group attend.
2003	September	Lois and Bill Frezza are honored by United Way for their volunteer activities. Joyce Houser receives same honor in 2002.
2003	November	The new NJPN website, including Raritan Valley, is www.njpolio.org. Lee Bekir designed and oversees the site.
2004	August	Betty Gill is honored as a “Woman Who Makes Magic” by WMGQ-FM 98 for her work as a longtime disabilities advocate.
2004	September	Joyce Siegfried, founder and leader of the Raritan Valley group dies suddenly from ovarian cancer. Her husband, Arthur, agrees to take on the responsibility of leading the group in her memory.
2005	February	Arthur Siegfried is elected president of the N.J. Polio Network.
2005	December	A memorial gift in memory of Joyce Siegfried is presented to the Manville Library for purchasing books for the elementary-age children Joyce taught.
2007 - August 9: 20^th Anniversary Dinner at the New Orleans Family Restaurant