What I learned from Bill Terry

By Dr. J. Russell Felker

The passing of Dr. Bill Terry reminds us of his remarkable life.

Bill was chief of staff at Southeast Missouri Hospital, president of the Cape Girardeau Area Medical Society, prolific surgeon and medical innovator in his 25 years of practice. He established Cape Girardeau Urology Associates, a medical practice that has endured for over 30 years and now includes seven urologists. The practice has thrived in large part due to his founding principles.

In looking at the dazzling growth of Cape Girardeau's medical facilities over the last few decades, it is worth remembering that it was not always so. When Bill Terry came to town, the medical community -- high in quality -- was small by today's standards. There were a little over 30 physicians in town, and the hospitals were a fraction of their current size. Bill was part of this nucleus of highly trained, extraordinarily competent physicians who drew others to the growing community and instilled in them an entrepreneurial spirit that has led to what we see today.

These are some things I learned from Bill:

In surgery, it is easier to stay out of trouble than get out of trouble.

If you want to sleep at night and see your family during the day, make sure your patients don't have complications.

There'll always be another doctor. Your children will only have one dad.

Always treat your colleagues with respect, even if they don't treat you that way.

Don't speed through Arena Park -- use Marie Louise Lane instead. The police don't watch that road as closely.

Being a doctor is not a job, it's a privilege.

Don't run for city council.

If you can avoid it, don't make patients wait. That is their No. 1 complaint about doctors.

These are some things that I know about Bill:

He bought one of the first Macintosh computers in Cape Girardeau.

He made sure Urology Associates was one of the first practices to computerize in Cape Girardeau.

He had a helicopter land in his backyard during the blizzard of 1979.

He usually had popcorn for lunch -- in between surgical cases.

He always took the stairs at the hospitals when seeing patients.

He was the fastest surgeon I've ever seen.

So when you go to work or receive care at one of our wonderful hospitals or one of our many medical facilities, stop and think for just a moment. Think of those whose shoulders we stand on -- the ones whose work and dedication laid the foundation for what we now have and where we'll go in the future.

Think about Bill Terry.

Dr. J. Russell Felker is a Cape Girardeau urologist.