O.D. Niswonger remembered as hospital leader, renowned iris breeder

Known locally as an empowering hospital administrator and worldwide as a renowned iris breeder, O.D. (David) Niswonger passed away Wednesday. He was 96.

Niswonger took over the helm of Southeast Hospital in 1976, having served on the hospital's staff since 1961. He would helm the hospital through 1990. In his career, he would earn the Southeast Missouri Hospital Association Outstanding Service Award, the organization's highest honor.

According to a 1990 Southeast Missourian story announcing Niswonger's pending retirement, his successor, Jim Wente, praised Niswonger's management style.

"Dave Niswonger is a leader," the story quotes him as saying. "He is an administrator who delegates authority and holds his staff accountable."

Thursday, Wente reiterated the sentiment, saying Niswonger expanded the hospital's facilities and services, including building an open-heart surgery program.

Three generations of Niswongers, totalling more than a century of service to the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club, were recognized at the service club's annual picnic in 2021. Seated is O.D. (David) Niswonger. Behind him are grandson, Joe, left, and son, John Niswonger.Southeast Missourian file

"At the time he retired, he was a part of that hospital for at least 50% of the time the hospital was there," he noted. "When you think about the culture of Southeast Hospital, the personality of the hospital, the character of the hospital, the mission of the hospital, Dave Niswonger had a lot to do with the creation of that hospital's purpose and, as I say, it's personality and culture."

Wente said Niswonger balanced myriad audiences as the hospital's leader.

"He taught me that oftentimes there is more than one right answer and the question is trying to choose the best answer for the situation you are involved in, and Dave always seemed to find a way to do that," he said.

When Niswonger retired from Southeast, the hospital's leadership created the O.D. Niswonger Spirit of Southeast Award in his honor.

Karen Hendrickson served as chief nursing officer during Niswonger's tenure, working alongside him for more than two decades. She said the Spirit of Southeast award resonated within the hospital community.

"That became a very coveted award, and when people were deemed worthy of receiving [it], it was one of the highest honors any employee would receive," she said Thursday. "It didn't matter if you were a physician, a housekeeper, a nurse, someone who worked in the support services -- anyone was eligible to receive that award, and they accepted it with great pride."

Hendrickson said Niswonger called upon his faith to guide his leadership.

"He was a very kind and gentle man," she noted. "He allowed those who worked with him to be at their best. He was very encouraging. He was a very reverent person, a good Christian man who treated all of his employees the way he wanted to be treated."

Iris breeder

Niswonger was known beyond Southeast Missouri. He was part of regional, national and international iris-breeding organizations. A 1984 Southeast Missourian story credits him with developing more than 500 iris varieties.

The story quotes him as saying his decadeslong hobby had enriched his life.

"I've developed a lot of friendships around the world while developing iris," he said. "This iris has gone a long way from when they were discovered as wild flags in the mountains of Europe. They are now 25 to 30 generations away from the original species, and friendships in the United States, Russia, Germany and many other countries have been cemented because of them."

Niswonger focused many of his efforts on creating specifically colored iris flowers, a process that could take years.

"His talent with breeding iris flowers, I don't know that I can really even understand the amount of talent it took to do what he's done," T. Robin Cole said Thursday. "The goals that he had took years to bear to fruition. He had flowers that he named after the Missouri Highway Patrol. The colors were intentional, and the effort was indescribably large."

Cole also noted another aspect of Niswonger's service to the community

"His generosity as a lifelong Rotarian. He led his son and grandson to become members of the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club, and we don't have many who have three-generation membership for the kind of term and duration that Dave and his family have delivered," the fellow Rotarian said.

Mary Bennett, also a fellow Rotarian, recalled learning regional history through Niswonger's tales during club meetings.

"He was very proud of his Bollinger County [Missouri] heritage and would tell wonderful stories," she said Thursday. "He certainly led Southeast Hospital through an expansion time and set some groundwork for why the hospital is so good, so prosperous today. I have only kind words to say for him."