VIEWPOINTS® Winter 2011
“It’s still just a silly toy,
of course – but it remains
a POWERFUL symbol to
each of our Presidents...”
The President
And The Fire Hat
This is a story of a toy. The little toy probably cost a dollar
or two. It became a toy that grew into something more.
Sound silly? Of course it does! But the small red fire hat has
had a long existence within ATPO.
Years ago, ATPO had no permanent home office staff
support – the elected officers and committee members with
member assistance did everything – and I mean
EVERYTHING for the organization – from daily
management of the organization, to check processing for
membership and meetings, arranging for (and often writing)
all of our publications. We fielded calls and focused our
energies on ATPO, in addition to holding busy full-time
ophthalmology jobs. ATPO was a young organization, still
nearly a dozen years away from the partnership with
JCAHPO we enjoy now – with staff, phone, and internet
support! Even our NEW Executive Director did their job
after regular work hours – and without pay.
In 1987, at the Board meeting during our Annual Meeting,
ATPO President Phil Weber presented a very inexpensive and
truly rather tacky small toy “fire hat” to incoming ATPO
President Phyllis Fineberg. Phil wanted to have something to
pass along to his successor that would be a daily reminder of
the responsibility they were assuming for our organization.
He made a short speech at the Board Meeting to go along
with the hat presentation to Phyllis. We all had a good
chuckle at Phil’s act – and at how silly Phyllis looked in the
hat, which is sized to fit a child.
Phyllis passed it along to me in 1989 (pictured above). That’s
the moment in the picture above – and yes, I did feel a little
bit silly! Some of us have looked more improbable wearing it
than others, as you might guess. But that cheap little red toy
sat on my desk at work in a place of importance and became a
daily reminder to me as a call to action. Of course, when
people would come by my desk, it became a topic of curiosity
and some people thought it something I had left over from
Halloween. Others thought it “just another of Paul’s quirks” (a
toy hat on your desk – what was that about?)
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VIEWPOINTS® Magazine / Winter 2011
Pictured left: In 1989, ATPO Past President Phyllis Fineberg passing
the hat on to Paul M. Larson, President incumbent.
By Paul M. Larson, MMSc, MBA, COMT, COE, CPC
When asked about the little thing, I could proudly say it was
a symbol of something far larger and most appreciated it for
the symbol members know today. As I was packing up to go to
the Annual meeting after my term as your President, it was
more difficult than I thought to pack up that simple and
ridiculous toy fire hat – but I did. I packed it VERY carefully.
In my turn, I passed the small red toy along to Todd
Hostetter, my successor. He passed it along to his successor.
That tradition has continued to this day (with the very same
plastic toy!) – to the presentation members now witness.
Somewhere along the way the little toy hat came to have a
small brass label affixed to it, and it has gone from a private
presentation to the more public one members see.
Now you know the story of how that toy fire hat came to be
much more than the humble little red plastic toy it began as.
It’s still just a silly toy, of course – but it remains a
POWERFUL symbol to each of our Presidents and a
reminder of the tradition Phil began. Each and every time I
see it I am reminded of its personal importance to me and the
memories of my good friend and colleague. Thanks, Phil! ■