USA: Retired Doctor Finds Variety of Ways to Seve Community

SEMINOLE, Florida (Clearwater Citizen), July 13, 2006: When life hands him lemons, Dr. William E. Hale makes lemonade. When a heart attack and myasthenia gravis forced him to give up his beloved internal medicine practice, for example, he didn’t wallow in self-pity; he began doing medical research to benefit the elderly. The West Virginia native learned compassion early. As an 18-year-old infantry draftee in 1945, he was on a troop ship, bound for combat, when Japan surrendered and the ship was diverted to Korea, where Hale spent the next two years working in the camp dispensary. “The Japanese who had occupied Korea had just been gone a few months,” Hale recalled. “The standard of living was appalling.” He dedicated himself to helping those less fortunate than himself and says he “border(s) on favoring compulsory national service” in the military or Peace Corps-style organizations to expose young American adults to the conditions in Third World countries. “Being overseas makes you appreciate this country,” Hale said. “It made me love this great country of ours.” Hale received a pharmacy degree with high honors from the University of Florida in 1952 and followed his father into the pharmacy profession. Six years later, he received his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. After completing his internship and residency at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1962, Hale and his wife, Jeanette, moved to Pinellas County, in the state they had come to love when he was in pharmacy school. He practiced internal medicine at Mease Clinic for a dozen years before health problems forced him to reluctantly give it up. But he cheered up when Jeanette pushed his wheelchair into a banquet room at the Fort Harrison Hotel, where 600 of his colleagues, patients and friends had gathered to honor him. “I was severely debilitated and didn’t know what the future would be, so it meant so much to me,” he said. He spent the remainder of his medical career doing geriatric research. To him, it seemed a natural extension of his internal medicine practice. Hidden Hero Dr. William E. Hale and his wife Jeanette “There’s such a preponderance of elderly in this area that most of the people I was taking care of were elderly people,” he said. “I loved medicine and loved taking care of people. It was rewarding to know that we made a difference in their lives. The research would also help make people’s lives better.” Close friends of the Hales have a developmentally disabled daughter, so Hale founded the UPARC Foundation to support the work of the Upper Pinellas Association of Retarded Citizens. His wife and some friends started the annual Omelet Party to raise money for UPARC. The list of charitable offices Hale has held and honors he has received runs several pages. Some highlights include past chairman of the board of the Pinellas Suncoast Chamber of Commerce, Suncoast Family YMCA, United Way of Pinellas and Florida Blood Service; past president of the Dunedin North Rotary, Dunedin Chamber of Commerce and UPARC; and recipient of the key to the city of Dunedin, the Bilgore Award, Humanitarian Award, Service to Mankind Award and Silver Medallion Brotherhood Award. He has been named Mr. Delightful Dunedin, Citizen of the Month, History Maker, and Free Enterprise Citizen of the Year. Most recently, Gov. Bush honored him with a Point of Light Award for his work with the elderly and developmentally disabled. But Hale feels he isn’t doing anything extraordinary, just repaying a debt. “We love this community and what it has done for us,” he said. “We try to give back to the community.” The Hales, whose daughter Sara Simmons lives in Belleair, are now retired in a comfortable brick home, filled with family heirlooms, that adjoins a golf course, although they rarely play. Hale, who has authored or co-authored 80 medical journal articles, keeps busy by writing and drawing. A few years ago, he also started taking violin lessons. When asked to name his proudest accomplishment, he was unable to do so. “So many wonderful things have happened to me in my life that it’s hard to single one out,” he replied. “But marrying Jeanette was one of the best things I ever did; we’ve had 57 good years together. There have been some great times in our lives. It’s a wonderful, rewarding feeling.” By Lester R. Dailey Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved.