Larry and Patty Dickinson chosen to lead Chautauqua parade

The last baby Dr. Dickinson delivered was on Nov. 10, 2004. He recalls that all of the OB nurses at Hedrick gathered for that last delivery, just to mark the milestone. There were so many nurses in the room that the mother asked if it was normal to have so many. But they were celebrating his last delivery.

The single biggest reason that Dr. Dickinson had to stop delivering babies was malpractice insurance.

"It boiled down to the fact that, by the time I quit, only three doctors were delivering babies in roughly 14 counties. It killed the three of us. With only three, it took every night and every weekend. By law you have to see everybody who walks through the door. People were coming from everywhere."

The three doctors at Hedrick Medical Center were delivering 500 babies per year. When Dr. Dickinson first started his practice, there were eight physicians in Daviess County alone, and there were seven doctors making deliveries at Hedrick in 1976.

Larry and Patty couldn’t plan any kind of family outing or activity without Larry first asking permission at work. So, with malpractice insurance so high, after 28 years and roughly 2,000 deliveries (1,684 since coming to Gallatin, not counting the babies delivered in training), he made the decision to quit.

"Quitting was like withdrawal," he said. "And we had an empty nest at the same time."

Larry grew up on the family farm in "beautiful downtown Carlow," and they still own the farm, which was homesteaded in the 1840s. He proudly tells of the roots he has in this community and then laughingly recounts the story of one of his ancestors, a southern sympathizer named Oxford, whose "lifeless body was found riddled with bullets" at Clear Creek Church on Highway 190, on the corner where V comes off, during the Civil War.

Growing up on the farm, Larry dealt with runts and sickly animals on a regular basis. And he found that if he took care of them, they usually lived. And when they lived, they became his property. "I made money that way," he said. He was actually born at Hedrick Medical Center and graduated from Gallatin High School in 1968.

His experience with small animals made him a hero to his young children when he saved their ailing pets, at one time even using an IV to care for a small dog with a flailed chest. The dog lived to a ripe old age.

Larry and Patty met while he was in medical school at Kirksville. Patty was working toward a degree in Special Ed and Learning Disabilities. Larry graduated on June 4, 1975, and the two were married three days later.

Patty had lived all over the state of Missouri, but she graduated from Bowling Green High School and from Truman State College at Kirksville.

Patty spent some time in her chosen profession. She set up the K-12 programs for Special Ed and Learning Disabilities in Ashton, Michigan, Bowling Green, Missouri, and Gallatin, where she taught for three years.

But when Larry needed help at his office in Gallatin, Patty volunteered. They’ve worked in tandem since 1976. "We were newlyweds," said Larry. "And we just didn’t see much of each other."

Neither Larry nor Patty mention any drawbacks to working side by side for so many years. Of course, they were sitting side by side when the question was posed.

But the benefits of working together are many. "When you get home you don’t have to tell the story over again. She already knows it," said Larry.

And he knows that Patty is pretty amazing. Together, they have delivered 14 babies in his office. "She can hand me the right instruments, while holding a baby on her hip … at 1 a.m. in the morning. She is very adept!" Patty stayed at home for a few years when their kids were small, but then started bringing them to the office, the best kind of daycare … with both mom and dad around.

While Kari and Patrick were in the Gallatin schools, Patty was very active in the booster club, the MOB squad, and the music boosters. She helped in the fundraising for the band uniforms currently used by the band.

And you could always rely upon the fact that Patty would have a video camera in hand, taping each and every event so that Larry could still enjoy the kids’ activities, even if he wasn’t actually there. Larry only missed the Albany game in Patrick’s junior year, but he was listening to the game on the radio, even as he delivered the baby! Larry still wanders the sidelines of the Bulldog gridiron, offering help, advice and comfort to injured Bulldogs. Larry’s mother, Lucille, also makes it to all the games!

Larry says his kids never felt slighted when he was called away from family activities or school events. "I give the credit for that to Patty," he said. "She never reflected that attitude, so the kids never picked up on it."

Larry and Patty built their home east of Gallatin on Highway O in 1989. They enjoy the wildlife in their yard, and even named one of their resident possums, Willis.

Both of the Dickinsons’ children are pursuing careers in the medical field. Both Kari and Patrick attend Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph. Kari is a senior and Patrick is a junior; both are working toward a degree in biology with emphasis on health science.

Patty’s family also includes several in the medical profession. Her twin sister and older sister are both RNs and her brother is a pharmacist. The Dickinsons also have a brother-in-law, two nephews and a niece who are doctors, with another in medical school.

Larry and Patty feel that working together helps them provide medical continuity and consistency. For them, there is no down side to working together. It is much easier for a spouse who works in the same office to understand why you’re not at home. Both have a better appreciation of time and the fact that not all of your time is spent in diagnosis and treatment. A big part of it is treating the whole person … informing, talking, caring.

Since Dr. Dickinson’s office is equidistant between four hospitals, many trauma victims are actually brought to his office to stabilize. He has dealt with many industrial accidents, as well as agricultural accidents with the Amish at Jamesport.

At one time Larry had 88 patients at the Maysville nursing home, and spent at least one Wednesday a month there. He is presently affiliated with Lake Viking Care Center.

"We enjoy our patients as neighbors and friends. We like to spend time with them. This is a very good place to live and raise your family," Larry said.

"I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the tailend of the way medicine should be," Larry said. "When we arrived, things took off for a lot of reasons, some because local doctors were older … Dr. Nixon, Dr. Bailey, Dr. Nelson, Dr. Wilson. At least I got a taste of the way medicine should be."

"If you do what you’re trained to do, I can’t imagine not being kind and genuine as part of this vocation. It’s second nature, because it helps a lot of people more than medicine, especially patients who are terminal or have a disease that can’t be cured. And I always tell my young mothers that I don’t mind if they call me at home, because we’re both more comfortable knowing that the baby is ok. And it is great to have the privilege of taking care of five generations of a family, too."

Is this the life Patty expected when she married a country doctor? "I didn’t think it would take as much time as it does," says Patty. "But I still enjoy it."

In 1983, the Columbia Missourian did a story on Dr. Dickinson, because his name kept cropping up in the university’s sociology studies concerning country doctors and doctor shortages. He has a long list of professional osteopathic affiliations on his resume. He served as Hedrick’s chief of staff in 1987, 2000 and 2005, as well as many other positions there. He served on the Board of Directors of Hedrick Medical Center from 1993-2003, and on the board of Grand River Medical System – St. Luke’s Health System from 2003 to 2005. He was the 1993 Missouri Emergency Medical Service Association "Physician of the Year." He is also affiliated with Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton.

Dr. Dickinson also takes care of the largest Amish population (Jamesport) in Missouri. And he points out that the Amish have a lower infant mortality rate than the average Missourian.

Dr. Dickinson may have been the last person to do family practice and OB, because that’s very uncommon now. But he still takes care of babies. The hours are not quite as long now. He doesn’t have to go to the hospital every day, so he can have office calls in the morning. "At one time," he says, "I could say (maybe debatable) that I was caring for everyone on Route V and 190, my route to Hedrick."

Larry and Patty are both very appreciative of their wonderful office help, Beth Rains and Kate Vanatta.

He remarks upon the reward of taking care of every single teacher that he’s had, including serving as pallbearer when called upon.

"I need to write a book," Larry said. "My stories aren’t always sad or funny, but they’re good solid memories of 30 years. One night I parked in a different spot at the hospital, and the staff got concerned. I had put in a long night and had simply disappeared to take an hour’s nap, but I got in trouble for moving my parking spot!"

The two of them have carved out a priceless position in this community. And the good news is, they’re not going to stop.

"He’ll never retire," says Patty with a quiet smile.

Wonderful, says a grateful community, with a sigh of relief.