TURLOCK, Calif., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Linda Collins Maurer, the first member of MedicAlert and for whom the organization was founded in 1956, died on Wednesday, October 13, in Turlock, California, after a 20-year battle with breast cancer. She was 65.
In 1953, 14-year-old Linda suffered a near-fatal reaction to tetanus antitoxin. Her father and founder of MedicAlert, Dr. Marion Collins, wanted a simple way for others to be aware of her condition, and the idea of a body-worn emblem, supported by a 24 Hour Emergency Response Center, was born. The idea quickly caught on, and today, MedicAlert serves over 4 million members worldwide.
“My dad thought of a dog tag or tattoo to protect me, but I convinced him to make a bracelet,” Collins Maurer once said. “Dad designed it with the words ‘Medic Alert’ on the front in red. Engraved on the back was the name of the medication they used at the time in tetanus antitoxin.”
The MedicAlert emblem is a world-renowned symbol that prevents emergencies from becoming tragedies by providing instant identification and medical information to emergency and public safety personnel. Linda’s original bracelet is now at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Linda went on to have a very successful career as an amateur golfer, and later turned professional and taught golf for over 20 years. As an amateur she was a two-time California Women’s Golf Association champion, a six-time Northern California Golf Association champion, and placed 27th in the 1964 US Open. As a professional she twice won the Ladies Professional Golf Association Senior Teaching Division National Championships.
“The sadness we feel at the passing of Linda Collins Maurer cannot dim her inspiration as the first member of MedicAlert,” said Paul Kortschak, president and CEO of MedicAlert. “She left a legacy that our lifesaving mission is as vital today as when it first began.”
Linda is survived by two brothers, Michael Collins, Ph.D., of Denton, Texas, and Thomas Collins, Ph.D., of Prescott, Arizona; a sister, Margaret Collins Gilbert of Peoria, Arizona; and her three children, Kathryn Maurer of Alameda, Karry Maurer Walker of Oakland, and Paul Collins Maurer of Turlock; and two grandchildren.
MedicAlert
CONTACT: Diane Lazzari, +1-209-669-2449, for National Fibromyalgia Association
Web site: http://www.medicalert.org/