Hanger Orthopedic Group (Hanger), Austin, Texas, is celebrating 150 years in business. The company will commence six months of celebrations on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, as Hanger leadership, practitioners, and patients ring The Closing Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
The company was founded in 1861 by James Edward Hanger, the first amputee of the Civil War. Unsatisfied with the prosthetic options available at the time, he invented the first articulating prosthetic knee, whittled from wooden barrel staves, just five months after surviving his battlefield amputation. In the same year, Mr. Hanger secured two patents from the Confederate government and was commissioned to develop prosthetic limbs for veteran soldiers. In 1871, he was granted a U.S. patent for his invention. By the time of his death in 1919, the J.E Hanger Company had branches in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, London, and Paris.
“The ingenuity and business savvy demonstrated by Mr. Hanger revolutionized the prosthetic industry and paved the way for ground-breaking innovations including the incorporation of microprocessors, carbon fiber, accelerometers, and robotics,” Kirk said. “Today, as a company that has expanded far beyond prosthetic patient care into distribution, network management, and therapeutic solutions, we recognize all those who contributed to our past successes and reaffirm the same core values that serve as the foundation of our legacy.”
August 10 coincides with the month Mr. Hanger began work on his prosthetic solution in 1861. On the same day, Hanger will also launch www.hanger150.com/, a microsite dedicated to its history and featuring a photo campaign by its employees.
Anniversary celebrations will culminate at the company’s Annual Education Fair January 30-February 3, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
