The LSU Bogalusa Medical Center recently inducted the 62nd member into its Zipper Club, a group composed of men and women who have undergone heart surgery or have had other problems that could be helped with exercise and or therapy.

The program consisted of short reports from CEO Kurt Scott, Regina Runfalo, Beverly Sheridan, RN; Lynn Wells, RN; Jill Breazeale, RN; Richard N. Seals, a former inductee, and Merlin Duke, patient advocate.

The newest member of the 10-year-old club is Joe Saltaformaggio, who received a T-shirt to commemmorate the event.

The T-shirts provided to each new inductee were a gift from late-night talk show host David Letterman, who himself had heart surgery in 2000. Former police chief Jerry Agnew wrote Letterman, telling him that he had been made an honorary member of the local group.

Other people inducted into the group include Agnew, Louvre Alexander, Tim Augustine, Jerry Bailey, Carol Bush, Cook Byrd, Gerald Cameron, Jim Casanova, Polo Capo, Johnny Crain Sr., Mary Crain, Howard Darden, John Denison, Duke, Judy Farmer, Wyman Garrick, Greg Genco, Stephen Genco, Mike Godwin, Robert Heinz, Gary Henke, Billy Hines, Gary Holcomb Jr., Martha Hunt, Lena Jacobs, George Johnson, Aubrey Jones, Ted Jones, Dale Kind, Bob Lamb, Brad Lewis, Charles W. Magee, Robert McGehee, Royce McGhee, Carl McKay, David Miller, Earl Moak, James Parker, Anna Peters, J. J. Piccinati, Doug Ritchie, Anderson Russell, Leon Sampere, Billy Seal, Randy Seal, Richard N. Seals, Chick Singleton, Tillman Smith, Don Spiers, Elaine Spurlock, Frank Strickland, Janet Strickland, John Stover, Reuben Sumrall, Robert Taylor, Mike Thomas, John Walker, Bill White, Fred Williams and George D. Williams Jr.