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                                  EXHIBIT 10.9

                             SOMANETICS CORPORATION
                             1997 STOCK OPTION PLAN


     1. Definitions:  As used herein, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:

          (a) "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
     and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder.
     
          (b) "Committee" shall mean, (i) with respect to administration of
     the Plan regarding Participants who are subject to Section 16(a) and (b)
     of the Exchange Act, a committee meeting the standards of Rule 16b-3 of
     the Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, or any similar
     successor rule, appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company to
     perform any of the functions and duties of the Committee under the Plan,
     or the Board of Directors as a whole, and (ii) with respect to
     administration of the Plan regarding all other Participants, such
     committee or the Board of Directors of the Company, as described in
     clause (i), or such other committee or entity appointed by the Board of
     Directors of the Company to perform any of the functions and duties of
     the Committee under the Plan.
     
          (c) "Common Shares" shall mean the Common Shares, par value $.01 per
     share, of the Company.
     
          (d) "Company" shall mean Somanetics Corporation, a Michigan
     corporation, or any successor thereof.
     
          (e) "Discretion" shall mean the sole discretion of the Committee,
     with no requirement whatsoever that the Committee follow past practices,
     act in a manner consistent with past practices, or treat any key
     employee, director, consultant or advisor in a manner consistent with the
     treatment afforded other key employees, directors, consultants or
     advisors with respect to the Plan or otherwise.
     
          (f) "Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
     as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
     
          (g) "Incentive Option" shall mean an option to purchase Common
     Shares which meets the requirements set forth in the Plan and also is
     intended to be, and qualifies as, an incentive stock option within the
     meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
     
          (h) "Nonqualified Option" shall mean an option to purchase Common
     Shares which meets the requirements set forth in the Plan but is not
     intended to be, or does not qualify as, an incentive stock option within
     the meaning of the Code.
     

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          (i) "Participant" shall mean any individual designated by the
     Committee under Paragraph 6 for participation in the Plan.
     
          (j) "Plan" shall mean this Somanetics Corporation 1997 Stock Option
     Plan.
     
          (k) "Securities Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as
     amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
     
          (l) "Subsidiary" shall mean any corporation or other entity in which
     the Company has a direct or indirect ownership interest of 50% or more of
     the total combined voting power of all classes of outstanding voting
     equity interests.
     
     2. Purpose of Plan:  The purpose of the Plan is to provide key employees
(including officers), directors, consultants and advisors of the Company and
its Subsidiaries (collectively, "key employees") with an increased incentive to
make significant and extraordinary contributions to the long-term performance
and growth of the Company and its Subsidiaries, to join the interests of key
employees, directors, consultants and advisors with the interests of the
shareholders of the Company, and to facilitate attracting and retaining key
employees, directors, consultants and advisors of exceptional ability.

     3. Administration:  The Plan shall be administered by the Committee.
Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine, from
those eligible to be Participants under the Plan, the persons to be granted
stock options, the amount of stock to be optioned to each such person, the time
such options shall be granted and the terms and conditions of any stock
options.  Such terms and conditions may, in the Committee's Discretion,
include, without limitation, provisions providing for termination of the
option, forfeiture of the gain on any option exercises or both if the
Participant competes with the Company or otherwise acts contrary to the
Company's interests, and provisions imposing restrictions, potential forfeiture
or both on shares acquired upon exercise of options granted pursuant to this
Plan.  The Committee may condition any grant on the potential Participant's
agreement to such terms and conditions.

     Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee is authorized to
interpret the Plan, to promulgate, amend and rescind rules and regulations
relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations necessary or
advisable for its administration.  Interpretation and construction of any
provision of the Plan by the Committee shall, unless otherwise determined by
the Board of Directors of the Company, be final and conclusive.  A majority of
the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and the acts of a majority of the
members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, or acts approved
in writing by a majority of the Committee, shall be the acts of the Committee.

     4. Indemnification:  In addition to such other rights of indemnification
as they may have, the members of the Committee shall be indemnified by the
Company in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding relating to
any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan or any
option granted hereunder to the full extent provided for under 
        

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the Company's articles of incorporation or bylaws with respect to
indemnification of directors of the Company.
        
     5. Maximum Number of Shares Subject to Plan:  The maximum number of shares
with respect to which stock options may be granted under the Plan shall be an
aggregate of 295,000 Common Shares, which may consist in whole or in part of
authorized and unissued or reacquired Common Shares.  Unless the Plan shall
have been terminated, shares covered by the unexercised portion of canceled,
expired or otherwise terminated options under the Plan shall again be available
for option and sale.

     Subject to Paragraph 16, the number and type of shares subject to each
outstanding stock option, the option price with respect to outstanding stock
options, the aggregate number and type of shares remaining available under the
Plan, and the maximum number and type of shares that may be granted to any
Participant in any fiscal year of the Company pursuant to Paragraph 6, shall be
subject to such adjustment as the Committee, in its Discretion, deems
appropriate to reflect such events as stock dividends, stock splits,
recapitalizations, mergers, statutory share exchanges or reorganizations of or
by the Company; provided that no fractional shares shall be issued pursuant to
the Plan, no rights may be granted under the Plan with respect to fractional
shares, and any fractional shares resulting from such adjustments shall be
eliminated from any outstanding option.

     6. Participants:  The Committee shall determine and designate from time to
time, in its Discretion, those key employees (including officers), directors,
consultants and advisors of or to the Company or any Subsidiary to whom options
are to be granted and who thereby become Participants under the Plan; provided,
however, that (a) Incentive Options shall be granted only to employees (as
defined in the Code) of the Company or a corporate Subsidiary, to the extent
required by Section 422 of the Code, or any successor provision, and (b) no
Participant may be granted stock options to purchase more than 200,000 Common
Shares in the aggregate in any fiscal year of the Company, subject to any
adjustments provided in the final paragraph of Paragraph 5 and in Paragraph 16.

     7. Allotment of Shares:  The Committee shall determine and fix the number
of Common Shares to be offered to each Participant; provided that no Incentive
Option may be granted under the Plan to any one Participant which would result
in the aggregate fair market value, determined as of the date the option is
granted, of the underlying stock with respect to which Incentive Options are
exercisable for the first time by such individual during any calendar year
(under all of such plans of the Company and its parent and Subsidiary
corporations) exceeding $100,000.

     8. Option Price:  Subject to the rules set forth in this Paragraph 8, the
Committee, in its Discretion, shall establish the option price at the time any
option is granted.  With respect to an Incentive Option, such option  price
shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the stock on the date
on which such option is granted; provided that with respect to an Incentive
Option granted to an employee who at the time of the grant owns (after applying
the 
        

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attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total
combined voting stock of the Company or of any parent or Subsidiary, the option
price shall not be less than 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject
to the Incentive Option on the date such option is granted.  With respect to a
Nonqualified Option, the option price shall be not less than the par value, if
any, of the Common Shares.  Fair market value of a share shall be determined by
the Committee and may be determined by using the closing sale price of the
Company's stock on any exchange or other market on which the Common Shares
shall be traded on such date, or if there is no sale on such date, on the next
following date on which there is a sale, or the average of the closing bid and
asked prices in any market or quotation system in which the Common Shares shall
be listed or traded on such date.  The option price will be subject to
adjustment in accordance with the provisions of Paragraphs 5 and 16 of the
Plan.
        
     9. Granting and Exercise of Options:  The granting of options under the
Plan shall be effected in accordance with determinations made by the Committee
pursuant to the provisions of the Plan, by execution of instruments in writing
in form approved by the Committee.  Such instruments shall constitute binding
contracts between the Company and the Participant.

     Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee, in its Discretion, may
grant to Participants Incentive Options, Nonqualified Options or any
combination thereof.  Each option granted under the Plan shall designate the
number of shares covered thereby, if any, with respect to which the option is
an Incentive Option and the number of shares covered thereby, if any, with
respect to which the option is a Nonqualified Option.

     Subject to the terms of the Plan, each option granted under the Plan shall
be exercisable at any such time or times or in any such installments as may be
determined by the Committee in its Discretion; provided that the aggregate fair
market value (determined as of the date the option is granted) of the
underlying stock with respect to which Incentive Options are exercisable for
the first time by such individual during any calendar year (under all of such
plans of the Company and its parent and Subsidiary corporations) shall not
exceed $100,000.  Except as provided in Paragraph 13, options may be exercised
only while the Participant is an employee, director, consultant or advisor of
the Company or a Subsidiary.

     Notwithstanding any other term or provision of this Plan, but subject to
the requirements of the Code with respect to Incentive Options that are
intended to remain Incentive Options, in connection with a Participant ceasing
to be an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary for any reason, the stock
option agreement may provide for the acceleration of, or the Committee may
accelerate, in its Discretion (exercised at the date of the grant of the stock
option or after the date of grant), in whole or in part, the time or times or
installments with respect to which any option granted under this Plan shall be
exercisable in connection with termination of a Participant's employment with
the Company or a Subsidiary, subject to any restrictions, terms and conditions
fixed by the Committee either at the date of the award or at the date it
exercises such Discretion.
        
     Successive stock options may be granted to the same Participant, whether
or not the option or options previously granted to such Participant remain
unexercised.  A Participant may exercise 


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any option granted under the Plan, if then exercisable, notwithstanding that
options granted to such Participant prior to the option then being exercised
remain unexercised.
        
     10. Payment of Option Price:  At the time of the exercise in whole or in
part of any option granted under this Plan, payment in full in cash, or with
the consent of the Committee, in its Discretion, in Common Shares or by a
promissory note payable to the order of the Company which is acceptable to the
Committee, shall be made by the Participant for all shares so purchased.  Such
payment may, with the consent of the Committee, in its Discretion, also consist
of a cash down payment and delivery of such a promissory note in the amount of
the unpaid exercise price.  In the Discretion of, and subject to such
conditions as may be established by, the Committee, payment of the option price
may also be made by the Company retaining from the shares to be delivered upon
exercise of the stock option that number of shares having a fair market value
on the date of exercise equal to the option price of the number of shares with
respect to which the Participant exercises the option.  In the Discretion of
the Committee, a Participant may exercise an option, if then exercisable, in
whole or in part, by delivery to the Company of written notice of the exercise
in such form as the Committee may prescribe, accompanied by irrevocable
instructions to a stock broker to promptly deliver to the Company full payment
for the shares with respect to which the option is exercised from the proceeds
of the stock broker's sale of or loan against some or all of the shares.  Such
payment may also be made in such other manner as the Committee determines is
appropriate, in its Discretion.  No Participant shall have any of the rights of
a shareholder of the Company under any option until the actual issuance of
shares to such Participant, and prior to such issuance no adjustment shall be
made for dividends, distributions or other rights in respect of such shares,
except as provided in Paragraphs 5 and 16.

     11. Transferability of Option:  Except as otherwise provided in this
Paragraph 11, (i) to the extent required by Section 422 of the Code, or any
successor section, but only with respect to Incentive Options, or (ii) to the
extent determined by the Committee in its Discretion (either by resolution or
by a provision in, or amendment to, the option), (a) no option granted under
the Plan to a Participant shall be transferable by such Participant otherwise
than (1) by will, or (2) by the laws of descent and distribution or, (3) with
respect to Nonqualified Options only (unless permitted by Section 422 of the
Code or any successor section), pursuant to a qualified domestic relations
order as defined in the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act, or the rules thereunder, and (b) such option shall be
exercisable, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant.

     The Committee may, in its Discretion, authorize all or a portion of the
options to be granted to an optionee to be on terms which permit transfer by
such optionee to, and the exercise of such option by, (i) the spouse, children
or grandchildren of the optionee ("Immediate Family Members"), (ii) a trust or
trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members, (iii) a
partnership in which such Immediate Family Members are the only partners, or
(iv) such other persons or entities as determined by the Committee, in its
Discretion, on such terms and conditions as the Committee, in its Discretion,
may determine; provided that (y) the stock option agreement pursuant to which
such options are granted must be approved by the Committee and 
        

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must expressly provide for transferability in a manner consistent with this
Paragraph 11, and (z) subsequent transfers of transferred options shall be
prohibited except for transfers the original optionee would be permitted to
make (if he or she were still the owner of the option) in accordance with this
Paragraph 11.
        
     Following transfer, any such options shall continue to be subject to the
same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately before transfer,
provided that for purposes of Paragraphs 9, 10, 14, 16 and 18 the term
"Participant" shall be deemed to refer to the transferee.  The events of
termination of employment of Paragraph 13 shall continue to be applied with
respect to the original optionee, following which the options shall be
exercisable by the transferee only to the extent, and for the periods,
specified in Paragraph 13.  The original optionee shall remain subject to
withholding taxes and related requirements upon exercise provided in Paragraph
15.  The Company shall have no obligation to provide any notice to any
transferee, including, without limitation, notice of any termination of the
option as a result of termination of the original optionee's employment with,
or other service to, the Company.

     12. Continuance of Employment; No Right to Continued Employment:  The
Committee may require, in its Discretion, that any Participant under the Plan
to whom an option shall be granted shall agree in writing as a condition of the
granting of such option to remain in his or her position as an employee,
director, consultant or advisor of the Company or a Subsidiary for a designated
minimum period from the date of the granting of such option as shall be fixed
by the Committee.

     Nothing contained in the Plan or in any option granted pursuant to the
Plan, nor any action taken by the Committee hereunder, shall confer upon any
Participant any right with respect to continuation of employment, consultation
or other service by or to the Company or a Subsidiary nor interfere in any way
with the right of the Company or a Subsidiary to terminate such person's
employment, consultation or other service at any time.

     13. Termination of Employment; Expiration of Options:  Subject to the
other provisions of the Plan, including, without limitation, Paragraphs 9 and
16 and this Paragraph 13, all rights to exercise options shall terminate when a
Participant ceases to be an employee, director, consultant or advisor of or to
the Company or a Subsidiary for any cause, except that the Committee may, in
its Discretion, permit the exercise of all or any portion of the options
granted to such Participant

           (i) for a period not to exceed three months following such
      termination with respect to Incentive Options that are intended to remain
      Incentive Options if such termination is not due to death or permanent
      disability of the Participant,

           (ii) for a period not to exceed one year following termination of
      employment with respect to Incentive Options that are Intended to remain
      Incentive Options if termination of employment is due to the death or
      permanent disability of the Participant, and



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           (iii) for a period not to extend beyond the expiration date with
      respect to Nonqualified Options or Incentive Options that are not
      intended to remain Incentive Options,

all subject to any restrictions, terms and conditions fixed by the Committee
either at the date of the award or at the date it exercises such Discretion.
In no event, however, shall an option be exercisable after its expiration date,
and, unless the Committee in its Discretion determines otherwise (pursuant to
Paragraph 9 or Paragraph 16), an option may only be exercised after termination
of a Participant's employment, consultation or other service by or to the
Company to the extent exercisable on the date of such termination or to the
extent exercisable as a result of the reason for such termination.  The
Committee may evidence the exercise of its Discretion under this Paragraph 13
in any manner it deems appropriate, including by resolution or by a provision
in, or amendment to, the option.

     If not sooner terminated, each stock option granted under the Plan shall
expire not more than 10 years from the date of the granting thereof; provided
that with respect to an Incentive Option granted to a Participant who, at the
time of the grant, owns (after applying the attribution rules of Section 424(d)
of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting stock of all classes of
stock of the Company or of any parent or Subsidiary, such option shall expire
not more than 5 years after the date of granting thereof.

     14. Investment Purpose:  If the Committee in its Discretion determines
that as a matter of law such procedure is or may be desirable, it may require a
Participant, upon any exercise of any option granted under the Plan or any
portion thereof and as a condition to the Company's obligation to deliver
certificates representing the shares subject to exercise, to execute and
deliver to the Company a written statement, in form satisfactory to the
Committee, representing and warranting that the Participant's purchase of
Common Shares upon exercise thereof shall be for such person's own account, for
investment and not with a view to the resale or distribution thereof and that
any subsequent sale or offer for sale of any such shares shall be made either
pursuant to (a) a Registration Statement on an appropriate form under the
Securities Act,  which Registration Statement has become effective and is
current with respect to the shares being offered and sold, or (b) a specific
exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, but in
claiming such exemption the Participant shall, prior to any offer for sale or
sale of such shares, obtain a favorable written opinion from counsel for or
approved by the Company as to the availability of such exemption.  The Company
may endorse an appropriate legend referring to the foregoing restriction upon
the certificate or certificates representing any shares issued or transferred
to the Participant upon exercise of any option granted under the Plan.
        
     15. Withholding Payments:  If upon the exercise of any Nonqualified Option
or a disqualifying disposition (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code)
of shares acquired upon exercise of an Incentive Option, there shall be payable
by the Company or a Subsidiary any amount for income tax withholding, in the
Committee's Discretion, either the Participant shall pay such amount to the
Company, or the amount of Common Shares delivered by the Company to the
Participant shall be appropriately reduced, to reimburse the Company or such
Subsidiary 


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for such payment.  The Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall have
the right to withhold the amount of such taxes from any other sums or property
due or to become due from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to the
Participant upon such terms and conditions as the Committee shall prescribe.
The Company may also defer issuance of the stock upon exercise of such option
until payment by the Participant to the Company of the amount of any such tax.
The Committee may, in its Discretion, permit Participants to satisfy such
withholding obligations, in whole or in part, by electing to have the amount of
Common Shares delivered or deliverable by the Company upon exercise of a stock
option appropriately reduced, or by electing to tender Common Shares back to
the Company subsequent to exercise of a stock option to reimburse the Company
or such Subsidiary for such income tax withholding, subject to such rules and
regulations, if any, as the Committee may adopt.  The Committee may make such
other arrangements with respect to income tax withholding as it shall
determine.

     16. Extraordinary Transactions:  In case the Company (i) consolidates with
or merges into any other corporation or other entity and is not the continuing
or surviving entity of such consolidation or merger, or (ii) permits any other
corporation or other entity to consolidate with or merge into the Company and
the Company is the continuing or surviving entity but, in connection with such
consolidation or merger, the Common Shares are changed into or exchanged for
stock or other securities of any other corporation or other entity or cash or
any other assets, or (iii) transfers all or substantially all of its properties
and assets to any other corporation or other person or entity, or (iv)
dissolves or liquidates, or (v) effects a capital reorganization or
reclassification in such a way that holders of Common Shares shall be entitled
to receive stock, securities, cash or other assets with respect to or in
exchange for the Common Shares, then, and in each such case, proper provision
shall be made so that, each Participant holding a stock option upon the
exercise of such option at any time after the consummation of such
consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation, reorganization or
reclassification (each transaction, for purposes of this Paragraph 16, being
herein called a "Transaction"), shall be entitled to receive (at the aggregate
option price in effect for all Common Shares issuable upon such exercise
immediately prior to such consummation and as adjusted to the time of such
Transaction), in lieu of Common Shares issuable upon such exercise prior to
such consummation, the stock and other securities, cash and assets to which
such Participant would have been entitled upon such consummation if such
Participant had so exercised such stock option in full immediately prior
thereto (subject to adjustments subsequent to such Transaction provided for in
Paragraph 5).
        
     Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, in connection with
any Transaction and effective as of a date selected by the Committee, which
date shall, in the Committee's judgment, be far enough in advance of the
Transaction to permit Participants holding stock options to exercise their
options and participate in the Transaction as a holder of Common Shares, the
Committee, acting in its Discretion without the consent of any Participant, may
effect one or more of the following alternatives with respect to all of the
outstanding stock options (which alternatives may be made conditional on the
occurrence of the applicable Transaction and which may, if permitted by law,
vary among individual Participants):  (a) accelerate the time at which stock
options then outstanding may be exercised so that such stock options may be
exercised in full for a limited period of time on or before a specified date
fixed by the Committee 


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after which specified date all unexercised stock options and all rights of
Participants thereunder shall terminate; (b) accelerate the time at which stock
options then outstanding may be exercised so that such stock options may be
exercised in full for their then remaining term; or (c) require the mandatory
surrender to the Company of outstanding stock options held by such Participants
(irrespective of whether such stock options are then exercisable) as of a date,
before or not later than sixty days after such Transaction, specified by the
Committee, and in such event the Company shall thereupon cancel such stock
options and shall pay to each Participant an amount of cash equal to the excess
of the fair market value of the aggregate Common Shares subject to such stock
option, determined as of the date such Transaction is effective, over the
aggregate option price of such shares, less any applicable withholding taxes;
provided, however, the Committee shall not select an alternative (unless
consented to by the Participant) such that, if a Participant exercised his or
her accelerated stock option pursuant to alternative (a) or (b) and
participated in the Transaction or received cash pursuant to alternative (c),
the alternative would result in the Participant's owing any money by virtue of
the operation of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.  If all such alternatives
have such a result, the Committee shall, in its Discretion, take such action to
put such Participant in as close to the same position as such Participant would
have been in had alternative (a), (b) or (c) been selected but without
resulting in any payment by such Participant pursuant to Section 16(b) of the
Exchange Act.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, with the consent of affected
Participants, each with respect to such Participant's option only, the
Committee may in lieu of the foregoing make such provision with respect to any
Transaction as it deems appropriate.
        
     17. Effectiveness of Plan:  This Plan shall be effective on the date the
Board of Directors of the Company adopts this Plan, provided that the
shareholders of the Company approve the Plan within 12 months before or after
its adoption by the Board of Directors.  Options may be granted before
shareholder approval of this Plan, but each such option shall be subject to
shareholder approval of this Plan.  No option granted under this Plan shall be
exercisable unless and until this Plan shall have been approved by the
Company's shareholders.

     18. Termination, Duration and Amendments to the Plan:  The Plan may be
abandoned or terminated at any time by the Board of Directors of the Company.
Unless sooner terminated, the Plan shall terminate on the date ten years after
the earlier of its adoption by the Board of Directors or its approval by the
shareholders of the Company, and no stock options may be granted under the Plan
thereafter.  The termination of the Plan shall not affect the validity of any
option which is outstanding on the date of termination.

     For the purpose of conforming to any changes in applicable law or
governmental regulations, or for any other lawful purpose, the Board of
Directors shall have the right, with or without approval of the shareholders of
the Company, to amend or revise the terms of this Plan or any option agreement
under this Plan at any time; provided, however, that (i) to the extent required
by Section 162(m) of the Code and related regulations, or any successor rule,
but only with respect to amendments or revisions affecting Participants whose
compensation is subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, and to the extent
required by Section 422 of the Code, or any successor section, but only with
respect to Incentive Options, no such amendment or revision 

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shall increase the maximum number of shares in the aggregate which are subject
to this Plan (subject, however, to the provisions of Paragraphs 5 and 16)
without the approval or ratification of the shareholders of the Company, and
(ii) no such amendment or revision shall change the option price (except as
contemplated by Paragraphs 5 and 16) or alter or impair any option which shall
have been previously granted under this Plan, in a manner adverse to a
Participant, without the consent of such Participant.
        
     As adopted by the Board of Directors on January 15, 1997.


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