I was born August 15, 1891 in Stanton, Stanton County, Nebraska. My Father was English, Scotch, Irish and German. My Mother’s maiden name was Benes and she was born in Prague (PRAHA) Czechoslovakia. She was a second cousin of Edward Benes, President of Czechoslovakia.
The Czechs and Bohemians had a Health System they practiced for centuries. They called it Napravit which means adjustment, and this is where the system Napratherapy got its name. When some Czech or Bohemian was sick you would say, “POIT JA TEJ NAPRAVIM ZADA”. Translated it means, “Come, I will adjust your back.” I still use some of the techniques practiced on me by my Grandmother and Mother.
My early life was spent in Stanton and Omaha, Nebraska, where my Father had bakeries. We then spent several years on a farm and later moved to Howells, Nebraska, where we had a Hotel and Restaurant.
The Czech people have a system of health training they call Sokol and they teach you all kinds of calisthenics and exercises which include parallel bars, trapeze, fencing, boxing, wrestling, track and military drills. This is how I got started on my ring career, in boxing and wrestling and this was when I kept my mother and grandmother busy taking care of me. It was at this time that I joined the Farmer Burns’ School of Wrestling and Physical Culture in Omaha. Everything went OK for a while and then they matched me with the World’s Greco-Roman hip lock artist, and I beat this man two straight falls, but when he insisted in wrestling another fall to which I readily consented and the next thing I knew I was in the Creighton Center Medical Hospital with a cast all around my body. I had a broken collar bone, dislocated shoulder and many pulled and torn muscles and ligaments. During the next four months I took many treatments and much dope for this condition without relief. Farmer Burns finally took me to see some kind of a new doctor that had offices in the Bee Building and when we got to the office we found that it was a lady chiropractor. In less than thirty minutes I was free from pain for the first time in four months. That was when my mother decided I should study chiropractic.
I matriculated in the American University of Chicago about the year of 1910 and they taught everything including medicine. I stayed with it until my money played out then joined Farmer Burns as a partner in his school of wrestling and wrestled professionally on the side. In 1918 I won a decision from Ad Santell at that time he was the world’s light-heavy weight champion, in Houston, Texas. Following this I opened the Warner Institute there for two years, then toured the country, including Hawaii and Canada, meeting all comers.
I entered the Palmer Chiropractic School in 1922 and after graduation went to Nebraska for several years and also to Ogden, Utah. In 1929 I bought out the O. H. Tilley Chiropractic Offices at Quanah and Chillicothe, Texas. I practiced there until 1959 when I moved to Iowa, Park, Texas where I am presently in business at 414 West Washington, Iowa Park, Texas.
I have done post graduate work at Carver Chiropractic College, 1931-32, National Chiropractic College, Chicago, 1933-34 and at Los Angeles Chiropractic College in 1935. I served as State Director for TSCA and NCA for many years, vice president of the NCA Council of Roentgenology, organized the National Council of Physiotherapy in Toronto, Canada and now hold #1 charter certificate, having lectured extensively on chiropractic physiotherapy, x-ray and health. I have served as expert witness at many trials, especially with Judge Simmons. We never lost a case. I was fifteen years completing a manuscript on reflex and physiotherapy, which I taught as a field extension course for three years. I also covered seven states with reflexology for Texas Chiropractic College.
The Degree of Fellow was conferred upon me by the International College of Chiropractors in 1937. I was the recipient of the Keeler Plaque in 1936 and probably my good friends Dr. F. Charlton, Emmett Bauknight and Dr. Hugh Warren could tell you why better than I could. I do remember this little incident, however, and how much it embarrassed me – it happened during those lean years when our Association was having a hard time keeping its head above the water. Dr. Charlton, our president at that time, would invariably say at the board meetings, “I don’t expect all of you to be Rudy Warners, but I do know you can all do better than you are doing."
I am a member of TSCA, the Lions Club, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Masonic Lodge, 32nd Degree Mason, Knights Templar, Shriner and a Life Member of B.P.O.E. I have just finished serving my term as Mayor of Chillicothe. President of Sunday School Class of the Methodist Church, administrative vice president of S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., Wichita Falls Chapter.
My interests are chiropractic, ranching and insurance. My hobbies are golf, chess, checkers, fishing and horticulture.
