A compassionate healer and academic visionary, Rex L. Nutt brought relief to thousands through a long and distinguished physical therapy practice, and as the moving force behind the establishment of the physical therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University. Saturday, May 10, during the 10:00 a.m. Commencement exercises, HSU will confer the Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Mr. Nutt, a man who is an advocate of care for the disabled, a spiritual leader in his church, and has dedicated over 50 years to the profession of physical therapy.

Rex L. Nutt

He began his career during the years following the largest polio epidemic in U. S. history. Although a mass immunization program began in the late 1950s, Mr. Nutt was involved with the rehabilitation effort at the Warm Springs Foundation in Gonzales, Texas, for hundreds of individuals already afflicted with the polio virus and the resulting paralysis.

During the early 1960s, Mr. Nutt returned to the Hermann School of Physical Therapy in Houston, where taught and published on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, functional anatomy, medical physics, therapeutic exercise, rehabilitation, and massage. After serving as director of this educational program, Mr. Nutt established his own private physical therapy practice in Houston, which he operated for more than 20 years before returning to Abilene to serve as Director of Rehabilitation at the State School.

Recognizing the need for more qualified rehabilitation personnel to serve the citizens of Abilene and its surrounding communities, he campaigned for the development of a physical therapy educational program in Abilene. In addition to his contributions to the development of the HSU physical therapy program, Mr. Nutt has lectured at Texas Woman's University in
Houston, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas State University in San

Marcos, Odessa College, and Angelo State University. The Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) renamed its Outstanding Physical Therapy Student Award in Mr. Nutt's honor. Seven HSU students have received the Rex Nutt Outstanding Student Award out the eleven years that the award has been presented.

As the movement to develop a Physical Therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University gained momentum, he served on the initial advisory committee; was instrumental in recruiting Dr. William Gould, the first department head; and personally acted as the initial Director of Clinical Education to establish key clinical education sites for our students. Today, he continues to involve himself in classroom teaching and admissions interviews.

Mr. Nutt was also instrumental in building the professional rehabilitation staff at Abilene State School, where he worked for more than a decade before retiring in 2000. During his tenure at the State School, he developed a statewide program to attract Physical Therapists to the State School practice setting. He created a stipend program which hires individuals while they are still in school. In return, the graduate has a guaranteed job in the Habilitation Services Department at a State School in Texas. To date, seven Hardin-Simmons University Physical Therapy students have benefited from this program.

One of Mr. Nutt's most notable and life-changing contributions to the Abilene area has been his active participation with Disability Resources, Inc. (DRI). Mr. Nutt and his wife Joann, together with other parents of children with disability needs, formed this non-profit agency. The mission of DRI is to assist developmentally disabled individuals to achieve their full potential in a Christian environment. DRI has grown and now has its own campus providing residential housing, job training, and recreation. For many years, Mr. Nutt served as the Chairman of the Board of DRI, and although he has retired from that position, he still serves on the board.

Mr. Nutt received a Bachelor of Science from Abilene Christian University, a Master of Science from Texas Woman's University in Houston, Texas, and the Certificate of Proficiency from the Hermann school of Physical Therapy in Houston. He has served as an administrative elder at Highland Church of Christ for over 15 years, is an active member of the Abilene Rotary Club and a member of the club's Board of Directors since 1998, and volunteers as a mentor to one of the local middle schools. We, at Hardin-Simmons are honored to have the privilege of claiming Rex L. Nutt as one of our own. Acting upon the unanimous action of the Board of Trustees and the confirmation of the faculty, Hardin-Simmons University proudly confers the Honorary Doctor of Science degree upon Rex L. Nutt this 10th day of May, 2008.