Here is what he looked like:
I think this pic was taken in 1989, around his 50th year of service. In his office. His last.
I share a name with him. I am a III. I go home to his town, where my parents live in the house his father built, he is known as "the baby doctor." He delivered about 3,267 children, including me! Even to this day I go there and I hear things like "I was breach ..." or "your grandfather beat the ambulance to my house."
Oh some fun below the fold.
My grandfather went to college when he was 14. University of IL. My great, grandmother moved with him to Champaign, IL to watch over him. He graduated and enlisted to fight in WWII. Flew planes and got shot. Flight surgeon.
Met my grandmother, a nurse, in a hospital. He'd move home after the war and set-up a practice. 50+ years went past.
I recall after he passed away, and he was a tough person to get close to, ranting on this liberal thing about this or and my dad stopped me.
He explained to me that my grandfather was an abortionist. That in the 50s and 60s his office was always open for women, women of all kinds and colors. That often, very often he'd work into the night, women knew they could come to him, no questions asked, and he'd perform an abortion in his office.
I was like but, but, but ....
I recall helping my dad clean out his office after he passed away. There was this file cabient with note cards in it. All in shorthand. I asked what they meant. I was told, or asked if I recalled people coming to my grandparents house with corn, chickens, or lots of other stuff. I said yes. They were called my "uncle" or "aunt" but they were not. They were people that couldn't afford his services, so they bartered. He kept note cards on what they said they'd do.
I like to think my grandfather was a "rock star" but I really hope women don't have to go back to this shit.