Research The Miracle

Welcome to "Research the Miracle". This space is reserved for as a place to present and discuss an important initiative for Catawba Valley Community College. Here's a bit of background on the project. A few months ago an idea was conceived to create a learning community at CVCC for the purpose of studying the most significant event in the history of the Catawba Valley, the 1944 Polio Epidemic. Presented and approved, we made an announcement inviting participants at our fall kickoff day activities with the setting of an informational meeting on August 28. At that gathering, an interesting array of faculty and staff gathered to discuss the scope of the project. Some signed on to assist and we were on our way. Our approach was to look at the epidemic from as many perspectives as possible, not only a historical one but also from experts in the areas of sociology, respiratory therapy, biology, psychology and others. The community, via its participants would view the '44 event through numerous lenses in order to learn as many possible lessons as available. In turn, our findings could inform our teaching by making those lessons closer and more immediate for students, whose ancestors may have faced the polio crisis, firsthand. We have decided to publish our findings by book and by documentary, as a way to help remind/inform the community about "the Miracle". Since then research has included digging through every written account of the epidemic, as well as seeking those individuals in the community who had experience with the Hickory hospital or recall the era. Our efforts continue to pay off with each find we make, thus the purpose of this blog. We will keep you informed...