Dr. Roy Warren Sweat age 94 of Atlanta, Georgia passed away peacefully Sunday, January 2, 2022. Roy was born in Albany, Georgia on June 25, 1927 to Warren V. and Fleda Sweat. He graduated from Albany High School in 1944. He volunteered for the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served during WWII from 1944 to 1946. He attended Palmer Chiropractic College in 1947. While in Davenport, Iowa, he met his wife, Roylan (Coop) Sweat and they married in March 1949. He graduated from Chiropractic College in 1950. Both Roy and Roylan were anxious to leave the winters in Davenport behind them and after graduation moved to Decatur, Georgia. Roy was offered an associate position in 1950 with Dr. Vic Brooks. He started his own private practice in April 1953. He was in private practice from 1953 until his death in 2022. Just before his passing, he was the oldest practicing chiropractor in the state and worked 6 days a week at his clinic on Chamblee Tucker Rd. in Atlanta.
Roy’s family was very important to him. He was a loving husband and father. He enjoyed playing golf with family and friends. He and Roylan were members of the Atlanta Athletic Club since 1950. Roy is preceded in death by his wife, Roylan who passed in May 2001. They were married for 52 years and had three children together. Roy is survived by his son Warren and (Carol) Sweat of Wallace, Kansas, his daughter Whitney and (Dave) Colvert of Marietta Georgia, and his son Matthew and (Tecla) Sweat of Oakwood, Georgia. Roy leaves behind three grandchildren and three great grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews.
Roy made many significant contributions to the chiropractic field and has been awarded numerous honors. Dr. Sweat was a past President of the Georgia Chiropractic Association. In 1970 he worked with PhDs and Engineers to develop and patent the Atlas Orthogonal Instrument. In 1980, he established Chiropractic Atlas Orthogonality, a specialized upper cervical program. This program is taught as an elective course at several chiropractic colleges and universities and is a Board Certified specialty. He has written a series of four books, and has written 30 articles on the Chiropractic Atlas Orthogonality program.
He was very active in the church and in the community serving as a past president of the Decatur Kiwanis Club and chairman of the Board of Stewards at Pattillo Memorial Methodist Church. He later was active at Decatur First Methodist before moving his family to Norcross, Georgia and later joining Embry Hills United Methodist Church where he was a member.
A memorial service will be held on January 15, 2022 at Embry Hills United Methodist Church in Tucker, GA from 11am to 12pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the R.W. Sweat Research Foundation online or by mail to 3288 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta GA 30341.
Dr. Roy W. Sweat, D.C., B.C.A.O. – Curriculum Vitae
Roy W. Sweat was born June 25th, 1927, in Albany, Georgia. He attended elementary and high school in Albany, and graduated from Albany High in 1944. Following graduation, he joined the navy in World War II and served for two years in the Pacific theater.
After leaving the military in 1946, he entered Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, in January of 1947 and completed the four-year course of study and graduated in January of 1950.
- Dr. Sweat went into practice in 1950 with Dr. Vic Brooks in Decatur, Georgia. In 1953, he opened his private clinic at 103 N. McDonaugh Street in Decatur, Georgia where he practiced for twenty-five years. In 1978, he moved his practice to 3274 Buckeye Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia, where he is presently located.
- In 1952, Dr. Sweat began a course of study specializing in the upper cervical occipital-atlanto-axial complex under Dr. John F. Grostic in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1960, Dr. Grostic chose Dr. Sweat to become an instructor at his seminars and help present the Grostic programs. Dr. Grostic died in 1964, at which time Dr. Sweat and four other doctors organized the Grostic Presentation Seminars and continued the specialized training seminars in Atlanta, Georgia.
- In 1977, Dr. Sweat organized the Society of Chiropractic Orthospinology, which presented the same specialized programs.
- In 1981, Dr. Sweat created the program of Chiropractic Atlas Orthogonality, which continued in the specialized educational seminars.
- Dr. Sweat has written a series of four books on Chiropractic Atlas Orthogonality. Dr. Sweat has also written thirty articles published in various chiropractic magazines.
- In 1970, Dr. Sweat designed a chiropractic adjusting instrument and has made a series of seven different models.
- He has designed an Atlas Orthogonal x-ray frame, x-ray chair and attachments for the x-ray machine.
- Dr. Sweat has designed an Atlas Orthogonal computerized radiographic analysis program.
- Dr. Sweat has designed three radiographic analysis templates and a right-handed Cartesian orthogonal coordinate system vector booklet; this booklet is currently in its fourth edition.
- The Atlas Orthogonal program is taught as an elective course at Palmer College of Chiropractic, Life College of Chiropractic and at Sherman College of Chiropractic.
- Dr. Sweat has been on the Homecoming programs at Life College, Life West College, Palmer College, Palmer West College, Sherman College and Parker College.
- He is an associate professor of Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia, and is associated with their research program.
- He presents the Atlas Orthogonal program at the Parker seminars.
- He is a member of the Presidents Club at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.
- Dr. Sweat received the Daniel David Palmer Scientific Award on June 9th, 1995 from Palmer College of Chiropractic, the 1999 World Chiropractic Alliance Researcher of the Year Award, and the 2003 William M. Harris Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Dr. Sweat is Board Certified in the Atlas Orthogonal program.
- Dr. Sweat completed the three-year orthopedic study program from National Chiropractic College.
- He has a graduate certificate in the videofluoroscopy program from Life Chiropractic College.
- Dr. Sweat’s programs have been presented to C.H. Suh, Ph.D. of the University of Colorado. The papers are then recorded at the University of Colorado as permanent records.
- Dr. Sweat has presented the Atlas Orthogonal seminars in Tokyo, Japan.
- Dr. Sweat has been a member of the International Chiropractic Association since graduating from college and is a member at the present time.
- Dr. Sweat is listed in the “Who’s Who in Leading Professionals and Executives.”
- Dr. Sweat is a member of the Georgia Chiropractic Association. He was the association president in 1969-1970 and has served on many of the committees of the association.
- Dr. Sweat is a member of the Decatur Kiwanis Club, and has been a member for thirty years. He has been a past president of the Kiwanis and is currently a senior member. He was presented a Legion of Honor award from the Kiwanis.
- Dr. Sweat is married to Roylan Coop Sweat and has three children and three grandchildren; he was married in 1949.
- Dr. Sweat is presently a member of Embry Hills United Methodist Church in Chamblee, Georgia. He has been chairman of the Board of Stewards and a member of the Board of Trustees of Pattillo Memorial Methodist Church in Decatur, Georgia.
Respectfully Submitted,
Roy W. Sweat, D.C., B.C.A.O.
