Over a period of thirty years, from 1967 to 1997, treating approximately forty patients a day, and refusing care to no one, I had the opportunity to experience many sides of the human story, collecting many memories along the way.
- Frederick Arthur Spencer, Jr., MD
A remarkable personal journey of a Salem, West Virginia physician, who, through his accounts of the many patients and their families that passed through the doors of his medical office-tells the story of resilience, faith, determination and community.
From assisting a patient while being held at gunpoint, to saving a nine year old from maggots eating away at his eardrum, Doc Spencer always endeavored to provide the best medical care possible with generosity, selflessness and a measure of good humor.
As dad wrote his autobiography and each patient's or friend's story, he was offering a piece of his heart. Each person with whom he had an encounter shaped him. He was the epitome of a family practice doctor.
- Kristi Venderlic
Frederick Arthur Spencer, Jr. was born January 6, 1932 in Middletown, Connecticut during the Great Depression. When he was five, his father, who had never seen a doctor, died of a heart attack. Raised by a single mother, young Freddie, his three older sisters and their mother never escaped poverty, but they found joy in life and learned the value of hard work and persistence. As a teenager, Fred never dreamed of college, let alone medical school, but teachers and mentors saw potential and guided him.