I recall the following doctors in North Vernon during my school days:
1. Dr. Thayer---My late mother thought Dr. Thayer not only hung the stars and moon, he probably made them!. He was always our first choice. I recall he smoked cigarettes rolled in brown paper. He set my arm after it was broken at Lovett Grade School. My left wrist is still smaller than my right one. Both Dr. Thayer and Dr. Green made rural house calls to our house.
2. Dr. Green---He was a blue collar doctor---in comparison to Dr. Thayer. His language was salty and down to earth. I recall he had a long narrow office. His desk was at the end of the room and the front right hand part contained medications that he dispensed from large smokey brown jars. He put the pills in a paper envelope that looked like church offering envelopes. Both he and Dr. Thayer gave me lots of sulfur pills. I can still smell them today just thinking about them and I start to get sick! They were HUGE!
Once my father took me to see Dr. Green, couldn't get in to see Dr. Thayer, for a camp physical to attend the Westport Church Camp. Dr. Green was seated at his desk and said, "Cecil, what the @#!*% do you want?" Dad said, "Glenn needs a physical and you need to sign this form." Dr. Green looked at me and asked, "Did you walk in here unassisted?" I said I had walked in by myself. He said, "Gimme that form!" He filled it out without ever performing any kind of exam. He didn't charge anything. When he retired he ran a notice in the North Vernon Plain Dealer that all of his patient's debts were cancelled!
Believe It Or Not Department: My English 101 professor at Purdue University was Dr. Green's brother! Another fellow, also from a small school was struggling with me to keep up with the assignments. My engineering math classes were eating my lunch. Professor Green, on his lunch hour met with Fraizer and myself to do extra reading and written assignments. The first non-textbook I read at Purdue was assigned by Professor Green: Amid the Alien Corn, a true story of an Englishman's struggle while attending Purdue. Fraiser always kept his head down when talking to anyone. Professor Green, I guess he learned this from Dr. Green, said, "Look those sons of @#!*% in the eye and let them know you are just as good as they are!" Without Professor Green's special help neither Fraiser or I would have passed his fast-paced class.
3. Dr. Matthews-- Seldom saw him. I think he was the grandfather of Leland Matthews who is now an OB/GYN doctor in Bloomington. Leland was a very special friend to me during my PCHS days. He introduced me to many of his friends, some of which were very well to do. Leland's father had been in the Indiana House of Representatives and was the the Postmaster in North Vernon. Leland and his family lived in North Vernon but attended the Commiskey Baptist Church with us. He had two aunts who lived in Commiskey. They would often give me clothes that Leland had outgrown.
4. Dr. Calli---Don't recall we ever saw him. I believe he raised race horses as a hobby. A Nature Preserve near Vernon today bears his name. His family donated the land to the county.
Perhaps no professional field has changed as much as the practice of medicine during the last 50 years. We were blessed to have had some dedicated doctors to help us during those pre-MRI, pre-Ultra sound, pre-Specialist, pre-open heart surgery and pre-short stay in the hospital days.
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