LIFE GENERATIONS
Founding Family Has Deep Roots at Life University
The last name Ungerank is familiar to many people in the Life University community . Dr . Ralph Ungerank and his wife Wilma were among LIFE ’ s co-founders in 1974 . All five of their sons attended the University , beginning with their oldest .
Dr . Michael Ungerank was part of LIFE ’ s first graduating class . In June of 1974 , he had just completed his Pre-D . C . training and was planning to attend Palmer College of Chiropractic that fall . That ’ s when Michael ’ s father brought him from the family ’ s hometown of Pocahontas , Arkansas , to Marietta , Georgia for Dr . Sid Williams ’ Dynamic Essentials meeting .
At the time , only about 3,600 people lived in the town of Pocahontas , located in northeastern Arkansas near the Missouri and Tennessee borders . Dr . and Mrs . Ungerank had seven children , and his practice — which son Michael described as “ probably the largest practice in the mid-South ” — drew patients from 60 to 70 miles away and as far as Oklahoma . Drs . Sid and Nell Williams , as well as the other LIFE founders , were close friends of the Ungerank parents , and the children frequently attended the DE events .
The June 1974 meeting was something different . Talks were already underway among the members of the Founder ’ s Circle to establish a principled and vitalistic-based chiropractic college in the Southeast .
“ Dr . Sid announced they were going to go look at a building that they were thinking about putting the college at ,” Dr . Michael recalled . A group of about 60 people walked through what soon became Life Chiropractic College .
“ They made the announcement that they were thinking that they were going to open the doors and start the college in January of ‘ 75 . Well , being a Southern boy from Pocahontas , Arkansas , I decided going to Marietta , Georgia to go to chiropractic college is a lot warmer than going to Davenport ,” Michael remembered . “ It took me about 15 seconds to decide that I wanted to go to LIFE .”
Michael said most of the members of that first class were between 30 and 60 years old and worked in other professions . At age 23 , he was the youngest student and eventually graduated Cum Laude in 1977 .
“ Dr . Sid was very strong on philosophy . We had a very strong technique system at the college when I was there ,” Dr . Michael said , noting that out of the 30 people in LIFE ’ s first graduating class , only one didn ’ t pass the national boards .
“ And we used to joke that , considering that we really didn ’ t have a library and a lot of times we had classes and didn ’ t have books , I thought we did pretty well .”
Today , Dr . Michael and his brothers Dr . Mark (’ 78 ), Dr . Greg (’ 89 ) and Dr . Clarence (’ 92 ) are all practicing chiropractors in north and central Arkansas . Dr . Michael is in Jonesboro , and Dr . Mark lives and works in Mountain Home . Dr . Clarence currently owns and operates their father ’ s original practice in Pocahontas , sixty years after Dr . Ralph started it .
Dr . Greg practices in Wynne , Arkansas , a rural community of 8,500 people and an hour ’ s drive west of Memphis , Tennessee . He said his patients come from a 50-mile radius , many of whom work in local farming and factory jobs .
“ Ninety-nine percent of the time , the body ’ s going to heal itself . And that ’ s my philosophy ,” Dr . Greg said . “ Let the body do the healing . Correct the nerves , spine , let it open . Let it flow .”
“ We get sick people well . Medicine doesn ’ t do a very good job of doing that ,” Dr . Michael explained . “ We help a lot of sick people — or a lot of ‘ medical failures ,’ my dad would call them — get their health back , able to work , function and do like they should .”
Dr . Jeremy Ungerank , Dr . Ralph and Wilma ’ s grandson , attended Life University and obtained his D . C . degree in June 2012 . He now practices in Cabot , a suburb of Little Rock .
“ I ’ ve had the pleasure of having a few patients that I am the third generation of Ungerank chiropractor to take care of them ,” Dr . Jeremy said . “ It ’ s a privilege
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The Generations Wall at Life University
28 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2019