Eulogy to James K. Humber Sr. D.C.

"... Many of you knew Dr. Humber far better than I and for many more years. My relationship with Dr. Humber spanned only seven years and yet my story is probably similar to many of yours. I was attracted to him because he was a master of the Grostic Procedure. He was, to me, the personification of chiropractic. To know Dr. Humber and not know chiropractic was virtually impossible. His level of caring for both patient and student made an indelible impression on me and seldom does a day go by that his words fail to echo in my mind. The mean were "podner" and the women "sweethearts" and if you needed a chiropractic adjustment you were, of course, "in trouble." I remember the snap of his fingers to illustrate his point during one of his many metaphors, the wink of his eyes, the whistle of his S's, the crunching of a wintergreen mint in his mouth and how he ended each teaching example with, "You understand?". Being able to intern in his office was an honor. One student described the experience as "like watching a delicate surgery." Dr. Grostic once told me he had more knowledge in his hands than his mouth could convey. Even when I did not completely understand, I learned an incredible lesson; his conviction was so strong. His name was Humber though he would have been better named Humble. And so it is that this day is filled with many emotions, to which there is no hierarchy. Our grief and sadness, our sense of loss, our joyous memories and our quiet reflections on the life of Dr. J. K. Humber may confuse us now, but let us not allow our emotions to cloud this opportunity to confront our own mortality. And in that confrontation, with what is inevitable to each of us, allow us to see the level of giving and loving and serving that Dr. Humber achieved and in accordance measure our own lives. I can think of no greater honor to my teacher than to transcend his passing by incorporating in myself his principles of life.

December 26, 1994 Craig York, D.C.