Linda Maurer; her condition led to Medic Alert bracelets
LOS ANGELES -- Linda Collins Maurer, a champion golfer and the first member of the Medic Alert Foundation, which warns medical professionals about a person's serious health conditions in cases of emergency, died Oct. 13 of breast cancer at her home in Turlock, Calif. She was 65.
As a teenager, she cut her finger playing with an air rifle and was taken to the hospital, where she received a tetanus antitoxin scratch test. She proved to be allergic to it and went into shock.
When she recovered, her father, a medical doctor, suggested that she carry a written warning about her health condition. Through high school, Mrs. Maurer wore a paper note attached to an ornamental bracelet.
Her father, Dr. Marion Collins, and her mother, Chrissie, later designed a silver identification bracelet for her. It was inscribed with information about all of her allergies: She could not tolerate aspirin, sulfa drugs, and a type of tetanus antitoxin.
The bracelet also bore a caduceus -- two serpents wrapped around a staff -- the traditional emblem of the medical profession. The words ''Medic Alert" flanked the emblem in red.
Mrs. Maurer's parents soon recognized the need for emergency access to the medical records of people like their daughter who had possibly life-threatening health conditions.
In 1956, they launched the Medic Alert Foundation from their garage in Turlock.
It has since grown to include 4 million members worldwide and helps save as many as 4,000 lives a year, according to Diane Lazzari, communications director for the foundation.
Medic Alert members have their health information on file in a databank in Turlock. The bracelet or pendant they wear contains an emergency phone number that connects to the database, along with a list of health conditions.
Mrs. Maurer's original identification bracelet is now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., but she continued to wear one throughout her life.
Born in Turlock, Mrs. Maurer graduated from Stanford University with a degree in nursing. Soon after graduation, she married John Maurer. The couple had three children before they divorced.
Mrs. Maurer was an avid golfer, winning several amateur titles, including the California Women's Golf Association Championship, before she turned professional. She taught golf at River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres, near Turlock, for more than 20 years.
