Richard William Sline, Layton, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, February 20, 2010

Transcript (27 pages) of interview by Becky B. Lloyd with Richard William Sline on February 20, 2010

Sline (b. 1947) was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He discusses his family life and schooling. He contracted polio in 1950 at age three in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He combines his own recollections with stories he was told about getting sick. His family home was quarantined with a large red "P" sign on the front door while Rick was in the hospital (approximately three months). After the hospital, his arm was in a brace with a built-in pulley system for a period of time. His mother diligently kept up physical therapy for about three years. He remembers some water therapy in a pool as an outpatient at the hospital with his mother. The polio settled in his right arm, where he has had lifelong residual weakness and diminished range of motion. He discusses playing baseball through high school, although the polio limited his performance. He relates the difficulties of his family in dealing with his disability. Mr. Sline's career has been in various positions in higher education. This interview is part of the Polio Oral History Project. Interviewer: Becky Lloyd