Mystery Person #4 -
Dr. R. L. Collins was born in Clay County and
attended the county schools there. His high school
education was achieved at Oneida Academy. Upon graduation,
he entered the Medical Department at the University of
Louisville, graduating 100 years ago in 1907. During an
interview with WSGS, we asked Collins how he
decided to become a doctor. "Well, I either wanted to
be a preacher, a lawyer, or a doctor, and I decided that I wasn't
good enough to be a preacher, and not smart enough to be a
lawyer."
In 1907 there were plenty of doctors in Kentucky's cities, so
Collins turned his eyes to the mountains of east Kentucky and settled in Hyden, Ky. Leslie County had
a population of 12,000 and only had two doctors at the
time. In those days, doctors visited their patients either on foot or on
horseback. The Courier Journal once highlighted his many
adventures as a doctor and of his famous mastoid operation that
he performed with a carpenter's chisel and hammer.
After ten years in Hyden,
he received a call from Hazard doctor A. M. Gross to come to
Perry County and help with the Hazard Industrial Hospital.
Dr. Collins started his practice in Hazard and was
interrupted only by World War I. He entered the Medical
Corps where he performed several hundred major amputation
operations at Savigny, France. After his service, Collins returned to Hazard to continue his practice.
In 1917 - Dr. Collins and Dr. Gross started opened Hazard's
first hospital. The facility later became the Mount Mount Mary Hospital. He was also a surgeon at
the Mary Breckenridge Hospital in Hyden.
Dr. Collins also donated the land
where Memorial Gym was built.
Congratulations to Ida Lee Stacy Hansel of Spartanburg, S.C.,
for being the first person to correctly identify our 4th Mystery
Person as Dr. R. L. Collins. Ida Lee quickly came up
with the correct answer shortly after the new Mystery
Person was posted. Pam Combs Arnold in Ontario,
Canada, and Mary Jo Gregory Edwards also correctly identified
Dr. Collins
Conley Napier,
Hazard, KY., put in a vote for Dr. Wagers. Connie, (no
last name given), thought it might be Dr. Payne. Faye Barker in
Simpsonville, S.C., submitted the name of Dr. Hurst. Shelby
Morgan, Maryville, T.N., wondered if the Mystery Person could
be Dr Coldiron. There were also votes for Dr. Palmer, Dr. O'
Donnell, and Dr. Cooley Combs.
We lived as next door neighbors to Dr. Collins and his
wife Virginia when they were very old and I remember Granny talking
about him doing a lot of good things and he was so nice to the school
children when they would pass his house. His wife, Virginia, had
many, many cats and my children called her "Mrs. Collins, the cat
lady". They lived on Broadway across from HBI.
I read and re-read your clues and honestly am amazed
that I guessed correctly. This is great. Thanks.
Ida Lee Hansel of Spartanburg S.C.
Recent Mystery Men
Joe Foley
M. C. Napier
Dudley Goodlette
John Gross
Blondie Eblen
Clymon Shelton
Zeke Smith
Fred Combs
Lus Oxley
William Stanfill
S. B. Snyder
Carl Seale
Nell Harper
Latest
Mystery Person
|
