Dr. Hiram P. Arnold

DR. HIRAM P. ARNOLD The son of a country doctor, Hiram Pinckney Arnold was to follow in the footsteps of his father. Born in the small East Texas town of Hemphill on August 17, 1917, Hiram was the third child of Dr. William Thomas Arnold Sr. and Hannah Pearl Fuller Arnold. The Arnold family included sister Doris and brothers Woodrow, Hugh, and Tom. Hiram graduated in 1933 from Hemphill High School. The Depression was on and Hiram was young, so he worked as a soda jerk at Hemphill Drug before moving to Nacogdoches in 1935 to attend Stephen F. Austin College. From SFA, Hiram transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. As is well known, he was a passionate lifelong Longhorn fan. Through wars, recessions and bouts of ill health, Hiram remained a realist as well as an optimist. The only thing that could lead him to real despair was the occasional loss on Thanksgiving Day of the traditional football game with Texas A&M. From UT, Hiram moved to Galveston to attend the University of Texas Medical School from which he graduated in 1940. After medical school, Hiram moved to Houston where he did his internship and a residency at Hermann Hospital. It was at Hermann that Hiram met the beautiful young student nurse, Gloria Jean Rickabaugh. During the Second World War, Hiram joined the Army. As a Captain in the legendary 127th General Hospital, he was stationed in England and France. After returning from overseas, the young doctor married Gloria Rickabaugh on January 28, 1946. The couple recently celebrated their 60th Anniversary. Hiram and his young bride settled in Galveston, Texas where he did a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical School under Dr. Willard R. Cooke. While at UTMB, he had the opportunity to work with many of his close friends from the 127th General Hospital. In 1947, Hiram and his associate Dr. William R. Knight opened a medical practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology in what was then the fledgling Houston Medical Center. There he began his long-time association with The Methodist Hospital. He was for seventeen years the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology and served a term as President of the Staff. During this time, the Methodist Hospital saw tremendous growth and the development of an international reputation. In 2006, Hiram and Gloria established at Methodist the Hiram and Gloria Arnold Urogynecology Lecture Endowment Fund. Hiram and Gloria had their first son, Frank Rickabaugh in 1947 and in 1950 their second son, Forrest Douglas. Dr. Arnold practiced medicine in Houston for almost three decades. As a physician, he worked long hours but never lost his love for Obstetrics or his personal hostility to disease. He was a beloved physician, as attested to by the many patients who chose him to deliver all their children and by the willingness of his friends to entrust their wives and daughters to his care. He was a member of the Harris County Medical Society, the Texas Medical Association, the American Medical Association, and president for a term of the Texas Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Arnold was well known as a practical man and people often sought his advice when dealing with difficult problems. He was always ready to support projects he believed in. He and Gloria participated in the building of the J. R. Huffman Public Library in Hemphill and served on the Library Board for twelve years. Hiram was a mediocre golfer but became a much feared tennis opponent. Dr. Arnold enjoyed dealing in real estate and among his investments were properties he bought and leased out for cattle grazing along the two-lane, dirt shoulder road that was then called the Katy Highway and is now I-10 in the heart of Houston. In 1976, Dr. Arnold retired from medicine and devoted himself full time to his second career as a timber farmer in his beloved East Texas. He often said that a country boy had to move to the big city to make enough money to get back to the country. Hiram and Gloria were honored in 1991 as Tree Farmers of the Year. They contributed to the establishment of an Endowment Fund supporting a professorship in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin. Recently, Dr. Arnold sold most of his timber acreage but continued to operate the remaining tree farm until his death, Friday, November 28. He is survived by his wife Gloria, brother Tom, sons Rick and Forrest, and grandchildren Sam and Mason. Memorial services will be held Saturday, December 6, 2008 at the 1st Methodist Church of Lufkin, Henderson Chapel. Friends wishing to make a Memorial Donation may do so for the J. R. Huffman Memorial Library at Route 5 Box 2140 Hemphill, Texas, 75948.