The Accidental Physician

The Accidental Physician

Dr. Howard Clark likes to tell people his foray into the world of medicine came about quite by accident, when he was an infantryman in World War II.

“It was 1944, and my unit, the old 7th Cavalry, was short of medics,” the family physician explains. “So when they asked for volunteers for medical-corps service, I said, ‘Sure.’ I went to a medics’ school in the Philippines, and I started off taking care of the wounded. I’d say that was the beginning of my medical career.”

Named the national Country Doctor of the Year in 2000 by Staff Care, a Texas-based medical staffing company, Clark, 75, still keeps up a frenetic 90-hour-a-week schedule that would wear out any recent medical school graduate.

The doctor works several shifts a week at the county hospital’s emergency room, but he also provides care for the elderly at local nursing homes, maintains an eight-hour day at his own office, and makes house calls several nights a week. In a career spanning nearly half a century, Clark has delivered more than 4,000 babies, performed countless surgeries, and seen to it that state-of-the-art medical equipment and training are available to his beloved community of Morton, Miss., (pop. 3,482) and surrounding Scott County.

His next-door neighbor and patient Lo Waldrop, 79, says Clark has taken care of her family’s medical needs for years, including when her husband W.J. (nicknamed “Dubya”) was sick and dying.

“He would come over at all hours of the day and night to help out. He was a blessing for us, for Dubya,” she says.

But Clark is a little more circumspect about his life of service.

“Frankly, I leave everything in the Lord’s hands,” he says pensively.

After the war, Clark enrolled in medical school at Mississippi State University, completing his studies at Tulane in New Orleans. A native of the tiny village of Richton, Miss., he decided to start his practice in rural Mississippi to keep close to his roots and the people he loves. He soon learned of Morton, a picture-perfect village perched at the edge of the Bienville National Forest.

“I found out that Morton needed a doctor, so I looked the town over, got a house, and settled down here in 1956. My only desire was to serve the Lord through practicing medicine, and I’ve done that since then.”

He also began raising a family. Clark and his first wife, Mildred—who died 35 years ago—had six children. He’s been married 33 years to his second wife, Jackie, who had six children of her own from a previous marriage. Together, they also had a son.

As dedicated to his family as he is to his patients, Clark learned to juggle medicine and household needs early on, carving time out of his schedule to attend school plays or sporting events.

“Sometimes that meant going back to work late, late at night,” he says. “But I always tried to be there, even for the little things that children find so important.”

Jackie Clark calls him a wonderful father. “Yes, he is always on the go,” she says. “He’s had to get up in the middle of the night to deliver a baby more times than I could even begin to remember, but he always makes time for family.”

Clark also has an immense dedication to education, stemming back to his youthful days at the Linder School, a one-room affair housing eight grades. His drive to learn at that school helped propel him into medicine.

He’s been involved with Morton schools since his arrival, now serving as vice president of the Scott County School Board. And he keeps a watchful eye on the Scott County High football program.

“I missed the first game on the Friday of the week I got here (in 1956),” he says. “I haven’t missed a game since.”

Just as strong is his commitment to his church.

“Dr. Clark teaches a huge Sunday school class,” says the Rev. Joe Turner, pastor of the Morton Baptist Church. “He’s very inspirational for the young folks. His energy really shines.”

But Clark only shrugs at the accolades.

“I do what I know to do,” he says. “When the good Lord puts me out to pasture, I’ll be ready. But I figure he’s got a few things left for me still.”

Dennis O’Connor is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

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