Clinic A-Building for Dr. Christine
Home to Forney
By Walter Robinson
Dallas Morning News
Friday, 8 December 1950, Page III-1 and 15
The folks in Forney are making good on their pledge to Dr. Christine Zarafonetis.
They promised “Dr. Christine” they would build her a modern clinic if she would turn her back on Dallas and practice medicine in her hometown.
Forney had been without a doctor for more than a year when Dr. Zarafonetis made her decision. Forney’s veteran family physician, Dr. D.H. Hudgins, had been forced to retire at eighty-two because of failing health.
The tiny Dr. Zarafonetis was resident surgeon at Dallas’ big Parkland Hospital when the committee of Forney citizens called to ask that she come back home. Everyone of them had known her since she was a youngster in grade school and her father, Pat, was a cafe operator in Forney.
“Ordinarily,” explained Forney Banker Carl C. Senter, “a bright, capable girl like Christine, I mean Dr. Christine, would figure she’d have to leave Forney. But the committee talked to her several times. Everybody has confidence in her. She was a little hesitant. But finally she promised to come back home if we would build a modern clinic.
“Maybe it was because her dad and her mother still live here. They’re fine substantial people.”
The clinic is going up under the guiding hand of the Forney Medical Clinic, Inc. President is Paul Clarkston, a hardware merchant, and Banker Senter is secretary. Ford Dealer H.W. Campbell is chairman of the building committee and Jack Pitts, Ernest Miller and Guyton McKellar form a 3-man advisory board.
Thursday, Dr. Christine was rushing from call to call from an office in the big 2-story residence of Mrs. Ollie King – directly across the street from the lot where the new clinic is nearing completion.
Meantime, Senter and the other committeemen are pushing sales of $10 shares in the Forney’s community clinic. So far, $10,350 has been subscribed to the building fund and only about $5,000 more will be needed, Building Committee Chairman Campbell said.
Clarkston and Senter said Dallas residents, “who used to live here in Forney,” are buying shares, too. These Dallas shareholders include Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Jordan, M.M. Layden, S.H. Boren, R.H. Sowell, J.B. Sowell. And there’s Searcy Ferguson of Oak Cliff, not a Forney man, but one of the bigtime cotton farmers in the East Fork bottoms near Forney.
“In all,” said Senter, “about seventy-five families now are shareholders.”
And several hundred dollars has gone to the building fund from the Ione Gaston Pinson Memorial Fund. Mrs. Pinson asked before her death last Aug. 7 that friends give money to the clinic instead of sending flowers to her funeral.
In Dallas, people are also watching progress of Forney’s first clinic.
At Southwestern Medical School, where Dr. Zarafonetis was graduated four years ago, Dr. A.J. Gill said:
“Of course, we’re interested in Christine. She was a good solid student – we’re real proud of her. She would be a success anywhere.”
At Parkland Hospital, where Dr. Zarafonetis is remembered as “a sharp little gal who everybody liked,” they’re also watching for the date of the clinic’s formal opening.
They won’t have long to wait.
Carpenters were working inside the new structure Thursday.
They are doing finishing work on two waiting rooms, two recovery rooms, a business office, examination room, operating room, X-ray and dark room, two lounges, a hall and a utility room.
Building Boss Campbell wasn’t sure what all the rooms would be used for – “but they’re everything Dr. Christine wanted.”
Campbell and Clarkston were worried a bit about a cement shortage but Campbell thought “someone would turn up with it – so many people are interested.”
Campbell said the clinic ought to be ready for Dr. Zarafonetis “right after the first of the year.”
As for the doctor she’s been so busy answering calls she’s had little time to watch the building go up on the corner of Church and Bois d’Arc Streets.
Explained Campbell: “Seems like everybody in this end of the county – and their kids – have had the mumps lately.”
