LETTERS: DR. RINGLAND: A KIND HUMAN BEING

To the editor:

This is dedicated to Dr. George W. Ringland, a good, kind and loving human being.

Many times well-known people in our community are recognized for their outstanding service, as well they should be, while there are those who quietly go about their chosen professions unnoticed. Dr. Ringland was one of those people.

I would do him a great disservice if I did not tell the people of Cape Girardeau how much he meant to those he cared for over his many years here. He never turned anyone away for any reason. Money was never the issue. The fact that they needed care was. No appointment was needed. Just come. If you had no money to pay, come anyway. He'd say to pay when you could. Man people made no attempt to pay him, yet he continued on faithfully, forgiving the debt.

How many doctors do you know who would think of making a house call? He did. I know, because he did for my precious mother.

He never asked more payment than Medicare or Medicaid would pay. If it did not pay, you owed nothing. All people were treated the same, regardless of their status. It did not matter. What more could anyone say? Dr. Ringland was worthy of his calling. He will be missed by so many people who would not have had medical care without his love and concern. Truly, he was a man among men. May he rest well now from his faithfulness and service to mankind.

GOLDIE PENDER BENEFIELD

Cape Girardeau