History
When Dr. Gerald Bronson, Sr. married Dr. Mary W. Bronson and established The Bronson Clinic in 1925, the profession was still in its infancy, only 30 years after the "discovery" of chiropractic.
That "discovery" supposedly happened in 1895 when D.D. Palmer found that a misaligned vertebra in the spine can have an adverse effect on the nervous system. He tried his idea of manually adjusting a vertebra in the spine of a deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard. The two became witness to what many people considered a miracle. The deaf man began to hear again, and Dr. Palmer began the development of "chiropractic" (translates as "practice by hand").
Upon graduation from Texas Chiropractic College in 1924, the early Drs. Bronson ventured out to establish one of the pioneer chiropractic practices. Originally in Ranger, Texas, they soon relocated in 1931 to the big city of Fort Worth, and the clinic became one of the largest in the state, serving up to 80 patients per day.
From left to right: Dr. Mark, Dr. Gerald Jr, and Dr. Ross
This quite unsettled the medical community. "They're practicing medicine without a license!" they protested.
So then the State of Texas (eventually all 50 states) issued licenses specifically to Doctors of Chiropractic. Many influential Fort Worth residents sought chiropractic care and began to speak out for the benefits. They brought their family members in, and recommended chiropractic health care for their friends. The Bronson Clinic began to experience acceptance and a high level of credibility.
The second generation Bronson Clinic evolved in the late 1950's when Dr. Gerald Bronson, Jr. joined the practice and soon took over upon the passing of his father. His mother Dr. Mary Winifred Bronson remained on staff and his wife Helen Bronson stepped in as the office manager. Dr. Mary passed on in 1983. Dr. Gerald and Helen retired in 1990. Their son Mark became licensed in 1985 and joined the practice as its third-generation chiropractor.
Dr. Mark Bronson and his wife Martha who serves as Clinic Manager enjoy the honor of serving the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those pioneer patients. Dr. Mark's sister Chrisanne Robertson serves as receptionist and chiropractic assistant. In January of 2020, Dr. Mark and Martha’s son, Ross, became the family’s 4th generation chiropractor. Then In 2023 Dr. Mark's niece, Dr. Britton Bronson graduated from TCC, passed her board exams, and became the ninth and newest Bronson Chiropractor. She is now raising a family and running her own clinic, Bronson Heritage Chiropractic in Azle, TX.
The Bronson Clinic, through 4 generations, has provided continuous, quality chiropractic health care to tens of thousands of Texans and people from around the world for over 100 years.
The clinic is in it's 100th year! That calls for CELEBRATION! Stay tuned :)
UPDATE January 24, 2024: Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the chiropractic class photo of the original Drs. Bronson. Some time this year or next we will host a celebration to honor the 100 years of continual service, and the whole community will be invited! Stay tuned.
