The End of an Era

I will eventually get to medical topics on this blog but wanted to first pay tribute to a friend and colleague.

Dr. George T. Sproul has retired after 38 years of practicing pediatrics in Staunton. I had the pleasure of working with him for the last 18 of those years. During those years, he was first my physician manager, then my business partner, and finally an employed physician the past few years. In all of those roles I always found him to be a man of integrity. He is kind, honest, hard-working, and always did what he thought was best for patients.

He is a lover of nature as exhibited by the bird feeders that have always been around our offices, first on Commerce Road in Staunton and now in Verona. I have learned a lot about medicine from him through the years but he has also been a frequent recipient of my questions regarding local nature and history, astronomy, and science in general.

I recently have heard that some families refer to him as “The Baby Whisperer” for his calming manner when dealing with patients. At the old office, he could frequently be seen taking patients over to the edge of the parking lot towards the stream to show them what poison ivy plants look like. Over the past few months, as his retirement neared, I enjoyed hearing grandmothers of patients reminisce about bringing their children to see him and mothers of patients talk about when they used to be his patients.

I know pediatrics has changed a lot in the past 18 years so I can’t quite imagine how different things must have been 38 years ago. But doing our best to care for patients is one thing that should never change. Dr. Sproul’s legacy of compassion for patients combined with intellectual integrity is one I aspire to continue. His presence will be greatly missed.