All Articles Contributed by David Patton, Palmer Town Historian
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All articles contributed by David Patton, Palmer Town Historian September 2006 PALMER CLINIC ANNIVERSARY The Palmer Clinic on Hwy. 108 next to the First Baptist Church of Palmer marks 50 years of service to the area this Labor Day (2006). According to newspaper accounts of the Day, the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company and the United Mine Workers of America (U.M.W.A.) led the effort with the money and materials and mobilized local miners and others who donated building skills to make the much-needed facility a reality with the Grand Opening on Labor Day 1956. Dr. Walter Huling moved his family to Palmer that year after the area had been without a full time physician since Dr. Oscar Howell Clements closed his well known Clements Clinic in 1948 and moved his pratice to Chattanooga. Dr. Walter Huling faithfully served the medical needs of the people until about 1977-78 when illness forced his retirement and subsequent death in the summer of 1979. In late 1980, Dr. Vin Paul Hua, a native of China, came to Palmer, and preparations were made to re-open the clinic, which officially welcomed back patients in January 1981. For over a quarter-century, Dr. Hua has served the medical needs of the Palmer area, and in 2005 was honored by the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce with a “Distinguished Citizen” plaque in recognition of his tenure as the longest serving physician in Palmer’s history. Dr. David Bryan, a cousin of Mrs. Hattie Hampton Swann, was Palmer’s first physician and was followed by Dr. C.W. Hembree and Dr. William Perry Stone. Dr. Stone was the father of Mrs. Everett B. Roberts, Sr., who was known state wide for her work in the P.T.A. where she served as the Tennessee State President in the early 1950’s. One of the most beloved physicians in Palmer’s history was Dr. Oscar Howell Clements, who came here from Georgia to be the staff doctor at the CCC Camp on Palmer Mountain. The people of Palmer got to know Dr. Clements in that role and persuaded him to move down into Palmer and become the town doctor. He served from 1933- 1948, which included the hard years of the Great Depression and World War II. He was known for his compassion toward his patients and for making house calls in all kinds of weather and at all hours of the night. As the late Mrs. Horace Moore, Sr. told me, “Dr. Clements was not only a good doctor; he was a good man.” Dr. Clements delivered many babies at this Clements Clinic, which was located behind the old Palmer Theater. He delivered many others in the mothers’ homes and even today you’ll find names like “Oscar Howell” Mc Daniel and “Oscar Howell” (Harold) James, who were named for this good man as was the late Bobby Howell Rollins. Dr. Clements’ oldest son, Howell Gilbert, is a Chattanooga attorney, and his youngest son, Joel, is a physician in Chattanooga. Others known to have practice medicine briefly in Palmer were Dr. Thomas Ray Mosley and a Dr. Shackleford. If you have additional information about physicians who practiced in Grundy County, please contact the webmaster of the Grundy County Historical Society’s website. David Patton Palmer Town Historian UPDATE: PALMER CLINIC ARTICLE September 9, 2006 Dear David, Just a line or two to tell you what I know about the Palmer Clinic. Dr. Cowden came to Palmer first I believe, then Dr. Huling. I was pregnant with my third child. I was living in Cleveland, Ohio. I came home to Palmer to have my baby because it cost a tremendous amount to have a baby in Ohio and our insurance had not been in effect long enough to pay. On December 10, 1957 around 6 A.M. I woke up to the noise of Moma’s washing machine running. Almost immediately I knew today was the big day. I got up and told Moma she had better get ready because I was going to the clinic to have the baby. I drove to Helen and Reyburn Ackerman’s house(my sister) so she could call the Dr. We did not have a phone. I don’t remember which one she called, but Dr. Cowden was my DR. Helen said, “Are you sure you are in labor?” I assured her I was and she said, “You sure don’t act like it!”. We arrived at the clinic and Dr. Huling and Mrs. Orange- Lemon Northcutt were at the Palmer Clinic. They put me to bed and Moma asked them how long it would be and they said this afternoon. Well she came in my room and told me,”She thought she would go back home and finish her wash”. I had no way of calling Nelson because he had no phone so I just wrote him a letter. He came home in about 2 weeks. He named her Marsha before she was born, if she was a girl, back then you ordered what you wanted and took what you got and loved it regardless what sex it was, I named her the middle name Gay. Back then they had a bread commercial on tv. The man would smell the bread and say Marsha and she would smell the bread and say John. I did not like the name Marsha but I did after they stopped showing that commercial. I am proud that we named her Marsha because now nothing else would suit her. Dr. Cowden was not at the Clinic at the time Marsha was born at 11:29 am weighing 6 lb 12 oz, fat as a butterball and real short legs. Dr. Huling delivered her. She was the most beautiful baby, She had long black hair that curled all over, very thick. She had pink rosy cheeks. She didn’t look like a new born baby. There was a restaurant in Palmer at the time, they sent out and got me a plate for lunch. It was really good all I can remember that was on the plate was cabbage. Moma walked in while I was finishing my plate. She said, “Oh Lord, are you eating cabbage?” and I said yes, she said “they say if a woman eats cabbage while in bed after having a baby it will kill her.” I said “ Too late now I have already eaten it!” Dr Huling showed Marsha to everyone who came into the Clinic. He would say I want to show you the prettiest baby I have ever seen! She was the talk of the town since she was the first baby born in the new Palmer Clinic. I spent the night at the Clinic and Mrs. Northcutt stayed with me. The next morning was the biggest snow I ever saw in Palmer. Helen came to pick us up and we waded in the snow and it was so deep we could hardly walk. It was quite an ordeal. Marsha Gay Burnett was born December 10, 1957 at Palmer Clinic, Palmer Tennessee. 6lb 12oz Father: Nelson Burnett Mother: Earlene Cunningham Burnett Spouse: Charles Joe Summers, Dunlap, Tn. Children: Daughter, Caylea Jo Summers, Son, Charles Brody Summers. Best wishes on your research! Earlene Bryant, 241 Bryant Lane, Tracy City, Tn 37387. COMMENTS: Earlene is a daughter of the late Webb and Sarah Gipson Cunningham who lived across Mill Creek near the Palmer ball diamond for many years. For more information on the Cunningham and Gipson families consult Earlene’s excellent articles in the Grundy County Heritage book. The restaurant Earlene mentioned was probably the “Palmer Restaurant” which was located in the big two-story building at the end of the bridge on HWY 108. Brian Coutu lives there today. Thanks to Ms. Susan Sissom for her assistance on this Update. UPDATE (SEPTEMBER 11, 2001)PALMER CLINIC ARTICLE In a casual conversation with Larry Crabtree last week we were told that his wife, Gayle, had worked at the Palmer Clinic for the last 40 yrs which is a record. Another longtime employee was Perkie Cannon Greene who now lives in Florida. Our good friend Franklin King said he was born with asthma and in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s the doctor gave him a prescription for “Asthma Cigarettes” which was filled in the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company , “Company Store”. Franklin credits his US Navy days with curing his asthma. “I was in the navy for over 10 years and traveled all over the world. I believe it was the sea air because I’ve not had a serious attack since”. Franklin is a son of the late miner Bob King of Chiggertown Loop in Palmer. GENE BROOKS, 1935 GHS FOOTBALL PLAYER The late Gene Brooks of Palmer gave us this photo of himself as a Grundy Co. High School football player in 1935. Gene was a lifelong sports fan and says he sometimes would catch the bus here in Palmer and go to a U-T Football Game in Knoxville. In those days Palmer had daily bus service to Nashville and Chattanooga with connections from there to anywhere. In his retirement years, Gene used to enjoy talking about the U-T Vols with another big football fan, Gene Grissom of McMinnville, who was the Dr. Pepper delivery man in Palmer for many years. Gene was a son of the well-known Church of Christ minister Bailey (Preacher) Brooks and Ethel Cannon Brooks. 1989 PALMER LABOR DAY PARADE David "Baloney" Crabtree had his wrecker in the 1989 parade.