46 Infrastructure more effectively. However, the battle for specialty status had left some members wary of relying on good faith efforts from the AOA, and the idea was abandoned. Others on the ACOFP Building Committee argued passionately for a move to a city in the Sunbelt. Dallas was one suggestion with its well-established airport and invulnerability to winter storms. In the end, it took the strong voice of team members Joe Namey, DO, FACOFP, and John Burnett, DO, FACOFP, to tip the balance toward building a new office in suburban Chicago on Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights, Illinois. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS HEADQUARTERS: 1990–2022 The groundbreaking ceremony for ACOFP’s new permanent home occurred Oct. 9, 1988. Many who worked so hard to make the event possible gathered to witness this high point in the college’s often harrowing history. ACOFP Past President Dr. Joseph Guzik summarized everyone’s feelings that day when he said, “An aura of serenity and hope permeated the entire affair.” Mother Nature responded with perfect fall weather and a crystal clear day. Boy Scouts of America Troop 146 of Arlington Heights, Illinois, opened the ceremonies with the posting of the colors. Then ACOFP President Ronald Goldberg, DO, FACOFP, delivered the opening remarks and made introductions. Immediate Past President Ray E. Piper, DO, FACOFP, delivered the invocation, and Arlington Heights Mayor James T. Ryan presented enlightening comments. Frank McDevitt, DO, FACOFP, chair of the building committee, along with Joseph J. Namey, DO, FACOFP, chair of the AOBFP (AOBGP), delivered remarks. AOA President Marcelino Oliva, DO, FACOFP, presented the keynote address. Ronald Goldberg, DO, FACOFP, delivered the closing remarks and then tossed the first shovel full of soil. Others helping to turn the soil were ACOFP Executive Director Bette Vaught; Marcelino Oliva, DO, FACOFP; Mary Burnett, DO, FACOFP; Joseph Namey, DO, FACOFP; and Mayor Ryan. These individuals were issued gold shovels as mementos. The remainder of those present for the ceremony received silver shovels as a remembrance of this historic occasion. The harsh reality was that without a bank account of its own, “ACOFP had barely two nickels to rub together and no credit,” Larry Koplovitz, DO, complained at the annual meeting in Dearborn, Michigan. Joseph Guzik, DO, FACOFP, a member of the board, threw two nickels on the table and said, “There you go.” Without hesitation, the rest of the board chipped in and accumulated a few hundred dollars among them, supporting the effort.
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