Dr.

Saturday, March 09, 2002

Dr. Niles Shoff recalls well the day his youngest son, Christopher, called him and told him he’d like to become a chiropractor.

And he couldn’t have been more pleased.

Christopher Shoff had played football at the University of Minnesota, and had earned his accounting degree there. He was working when he decided on the career change.

&uot;At that time, Dad was reaching the 50-year mark in the practice, and I thought before he sold it, I should take one more look at it,&uot; Christopher recalled. &uot;It was a chance to run my own business and help people. It’s a rewarding job.&uot;

&uot;I told him he could go to chiropractic college wherever he liked,&uot; his father added.

The elder Shoff attended Lincoln Chiropractic College in Indiana, and one of his other sons, Michael J. Shoff, is a graduate of the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Ill. He practices in the Twin Cities.

While he made up his mind about where to attend, Christopher took his required science courses. He’d already visited his brother’s school. They also went to see his father’s school. But when they visited Logan College of Chiropractic in Missouri, he knew that was the school for him. The program was for three years and four months, or 10 trimesters. He got his acupuncture training on the weekends.

&uot;One reason I chose Logan was because the school was similar to what Dad learned at Lincoln,&uot; Christopher said. &uot;I started adjusting my second semester there.&uot;

He also liked the 120-acre campus in a suburban setting, he said.

While at Logan, Christopher served as president of the Student American Chiropractic Association for two years. Twice he went to Washington, D.C. for a legislative conference and lobbying. He also traveled to Denver for the American Chiropractic Association business meeting.

Christopher interned in a clinic practice in St. Louis, and the clinician there had actually been licensed in Minnesota in 1968, when Niles Shoff had served as the chiropractic representative on the Minnesota Board of Examiners in the Basic Sciences.

Christopher graduated from Logan in December 2001, took his state board examinations in January and joined his father in the practice on Feb. 1. The pair are finding the combination of experience and the latest technology beneficial.

&uot;The nice thing about it is that we get along well together,&uot; Niles Shoff said. &uot;We can consult with each other and read X-rays together.&uot;

Having his son in the practice allows the elder Shoff to ease back a little. This year marks 52 years of practice for him in Albert Lea.

&uot;I get a great deal of satisfaction from the work,&uot; Niles Shoff said. &uot;That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to quit.&uot;

He’s also excited that another young professional has made the choice to come back to his hometown to live and work, something that keeps the community vital and growing.

&uot;We need to do something to get more of these young people to come back,&uot; Shoff, a former Albert Lea mayor, said.

Already, Christopher Shoff, who is single, is a member of the Albert Lea Lions Club and the Albert Lea Elks Lodge. He plans to join the Jaycees, and was active in the chapter in Chesterfield, Mo., as well as the West County Toastmasters. He also enjoys playing guitar and piano, singing and playing golf.