 Pioneering Denison Physician Retires After Long Service A doctor with a sense of humor Story & photos by John Clift After 57 years of medical practice, a veteran Denison physician, Dr. Doak Blassingame, is retiring as of September 1. "There are multiple reasons for ending my practice, ranging from the increased paperwork of Medicare, the threat of managed medical practice and the increasing cost of malpractice insurance," Dr. Blassingame said. Dr. Blassingame was one of a trio of Denison natives who elected to become physicians at about the same time. The late Dr. Don Freeman, son of pioneer Denison physician Dr. William Freeman, and Dr. Tillman McDaniel, son of the veteran Denison educator B.M. McDaniel, all finished high school within a year or two of each other. "We took pre-med at the University of Texas. Both Dr. Freeman and Dr. McDaniel went to Harvard Medical School, but I completed my medical education at the University of Texas medical school in Galveston where my father had graduated 40 years earlier," Dr. Blassingame said. Even though Dr. Blassingame was the son of an early-day Denison physician, Dr. A.A. Blassingame, he said his dad didn't pressure him into going into medicine. "Actually my father wanted me to enter diplomatic service. As a result, when I enrolled at the University of Texas, I had no idea what I would major in. But after one year, I found I had a liking for biology and that tilted me toward medicin," Dr. Blassingame continued. After completing his internship at the Pittsburgh Medical Center, the young doctor first went to Ardmore, where he was associated with some cousins in the practice of medicine. However, by 1937 he returned to Denison and launched his long medical practice. "Dr. T.J. Long was major at the time, and when the city health doctor resigned, I was appointed to the post. Shortly after I took over, a typhoid epidemic broke out in the Cotton Mill district. I checked and discovered it came from the Webb Diary. I was ordered to tell the dairy to either start pasteurizing their milk or quit selling it. They decided to shut down." Dr. Blassingame said. Several persons died before enough vaccines were obtained to end the epidemic. Dr. Blassingame was on the staff at the Katy Hospital for a number of years before he left after a dispute with a board member. Later, following the retirement of Dr. Roland Kiefer of St. Louis as the Katy Hospital medical director, Dr. Blassingame was appointed to that position that he held until he resigned in 1966. While the typhoid epidemic at the outset of his career stands out as the most memorable medical experience, Dr. Blassingame has performed both major and minor surgery, delivered hundreds of babies and treated hundreds and hundreds of patients as a general practioner. When he first arrived in Denison to set up his practice, he went out to the old City Hospital to check the facilities for child birth. He was appalled that the total equipment included only an old iron cot with two mattresses. Since he had done his internship at the Pittsburgh Medical Center which had the latest in modern equipment, he got the City Hospital to order a modern bed, modern forceps - which, incidentally, are no longer used because of malpractice suits - and other necessary equipment for the delivery of babies. When his father was practicing and during the first quarter of a century of his practice, Dr. Blassingame said doctors were not considered to be miracle workers. "We did everything in our power to treat patients and improve their health. What we did was accepted. But not anymore. Today, people have been taught to expect 100 pervent or else. If a baby is born with a defect, the doctor is blamed," Dr. Blassingame said. While his practicing has been time-consuming, in recent years Dr. Blassingame has turned to an assortment of hobbies, ranging from collecting knick-knacks to traveling to genealogy. He has written two books on the Blassingame family and is working on a third. He has sold them all over the world. His interest in genealogy was triggered by his father telling him that his grandfather was a general during the War Between the States. In his research, he uncovered a great-grandfather who had been a general in the War of 1812. "In fact, my book led to a phone call from a lady in Dallas who is a direct descendant of the 1812 general. That makes her my fourth cousin, three times removed, who is the most remote relative I have," Dr. Blassingame said, smiling. Dr. Blassingame was 11 years old when he found some old postcards with stamps on them that launched his stamp collection. He sold that collection in 1967 and used the money for both travel abroad and to start new collections. He saw his first Japanese netsuke at a friend's house that launched that collection.  It
was the same with...and Russian lacquer boxes Dr. Blassingame is
a member of the International Netsuke Society, and he said one day he
may just sell out his netsuke collection at one of their conventions
which include auctions. "I have always had a great curiousity which triggered my desire to collect unusual object," he said. Dr. Blassingame was born on Double Ten day in 1911. In 1939 he married his wife, Helen, who was a nurse in Fort Worth and one of about 1,000 nurses who applied to become the initial stewardesses on American Airlines. She was one of 20 selected. The couple have five children, four of whom survive. They include Amos of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; Dean of North Richmond Hills; Betty Jane Whiting of Dallas and Lynn Dye if Kanakee, Illinois. As a practical joker, Dr. Blassingame has had few peers in Denison. Years before the advent of the portable telephone, Dr. Blassingame was sitting in the hospital office of Administrator Dick Spaulding and Dr. John Saunders when the phone rang. "Is that your phone?" Dr. Blassingame asked Spaulding. "No, it doesn't sound like my ring," Dr. Spaulding said. "Then it must be mine," Dr. Blassingame said, reaching in his coat pocket and pulling out a phone. After a brief conversation, he put the phone back in his pocket, but not before completely bedazzlzing Spaulding and Saunders. Dr. Blassingame had a buzzer hooked up that he could ring the phone at his pleasure. When Blassingame resigned to take another position, the doctors had a going away dinner for him. Dr. Blassingame was asked to get a suitable plaque. The one selected was made of ceramic. At the appropriate time, Dr. Blassingame got up, showed the plaque all around then went to hand it to Spaulding when he tripped and the plaque hit the floor and shattered to the total consternation of both Spaudling and the guests. Some time later in the evening Dr. Blassingame produced a replica. Years ago, Dr. Blassingame organized among his medical and other friends a "Keep Denison Small" Club. Patterned after the Bonehead Club of Dallas, the members came up with wanting to drain Lake Texoma to keep the tourists and fishermen away. The club advocated putting names to all of the dips in the streets in Denison such as Avacado Dip, Cheese Dip, etc. With the departure of the Katy Railroad, Johns Manvill and other industries, Dr. Blassingame said the club was disbanded "because the chamber of commerce is doing such a good job of keeping the town small." Back when dress codes were stricter, Dr. Blassingame cut off the legs from a pair of slacks, then fastened snaps on them. When he showed up at the Denison Rod and Gun Club and was told he could not get in without long pants, he reached in a coat pocket, pulled out the pants legs, hooked them up and walked in. Recently Dr. Blassingame found out his wife wanted to go to Branson, Missouri to see some of the shows. Expressing disdain for Branson, he said he wouldn't go. So his wife went to book her ticket with a group going, only to learn not only had her ticket been paid for, but the man who booked it, and he had a funny name, would be her escort. Naturally, when the bus left "that man" turned out to be Dr. Blassingame. Who else?  Biography Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
