A Short History of Dr. R.V. Kinzie
Submitted by Phil Gleason
I want to thank and acknowledge the following informants: Steve Kinzie, Mark Patterson, Walter Henze, and Dave Kinzie. Without the generous gift of their time the following history could not have been recorded. Throughout this article Dr. Ralph Vernon Kinzie is referred to as Kinzie, Doc Kinzie, or “Doc” as he was most commonly called.
Dr. R. V. Kinzie was born December 5, 1913 on a farm in Cass County, Indiana. Most likely a home birth, Kinzie was the first of seven children. Growing up he had to shoulder some of the care of the family, for his father was soon gravely disabled due to Parkinson’s disease thought to be caused by encephalitis from the flu of 1918. Kinzie’s father had done a couple of years of college (unusual in those days) and had played semi-professional baseball. A handsome, intelligent and strong man, one can understand how devastating it must of felt watching one’s father slowly succumb to this tortuous, debilitating disease. At an early age, Kinzie learned to do various jobs to help supplement the family’s livelihood.
Besides the social and cultural influences that came with growing up in rural Indiana at the beginning of the twentieth century, Kinzie was raised in the Church of the Brethren. Fortunately, after High School, he had the opportunity to go to the church’s college in N. Manchester, Indiana. There he met and married his wife, Geneva George. They had their first child in 1937. How difficult it must have been to go to college, provide for his family, and raise children during the Great Depression. Later he transferred to the University of Indiana to go to Medical school. The internship at the Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne was interrupted when World War II broke out. After volunteering for the Public Health Service, he transferred into the Coast Guard, and then the Navy. Stationed first in the Catalina islands, sons Steve and Dave vividly remember going to visit after several years of separation. Standing strong, dressed in an all-white uniform, their father presented an imposing almost “god-like” figure to the 4 year old Steve. Later transferring to Seattle, Kinzie was able to complete his internship at the Public Health Service Hospital, receiving extra training in obstetrics. While finishing medical training, he met and became friends with Dewey Stutzman. Gregarious and extroverted, Stutzman was manager of the Regal Fruit Company. Dewey was also a vocal advocate for encouraging people into moving to the town of Tonasket. And Dewey knew that this small rural community was in need of another doctor. There had been two and one left. “You’ll be growing roses in December,” he reportedly told Kinzie, trying to convince him to make the move.
Finishing his internship at the University of Washington, Kinzie was discharged from the military in 1945 and moved his small family from Seattle to Tonasket. Why would an up and coming young physician move from the boom town of Seattle in the mid-forties to a small town where the streets were not even paved yet? His two sons, and people he worked with, would say that part of the answer was a profound commitment to care for the medically underserved population. He saw the real need of medicine for people in this small community. Both Kinzie and Geneva had a strong commitment of service and a calling to help others. Dave related that when they were younger, both parents had wanted to do missionary service. In fact they went on to visit missions later in life (Nigeria and Ecuador). Their desire to serve was reflected in their taking into their home numerous children and adolescents. Often helping those who were in trouble and needed physical and/or emotional shelter. Also they would house children who just lived so far from town (e.g., Aeneas Valley) that the child had a hard time getting to school on a regular basis. Another factor influencing his decision to practice in Tonasket was that Doc Kenzie wanted to be close to a Church of the Brethren. Dave related one of the church members loaned Doc $1000 dollars to make the move (a considerable amount in those days.
Kinzie’s first doctor’s office was on the second floor of the Regal Fruit building. When relating this information, Steve laughed with the thought that one had to be “fairly healthy to see Doc Kinzie.” Anyone really ill wouldn’t be able to climb the steps. However, he did make “many, many house calls.” Doc became well known in the community for his willingness to respond at all hours. Once during the middle of the night, he got a call from someone we’ll call Ray, pleading for Doc to come see a patient who might be suffering from pneumonia. Upon his arrival and entering the house, Kinzie looked around, not seeing anyone sick he asked “where’s the patient.” Ray led him back outside to the barn where there was a horse lying on the ground gasping for breath. “Ray, you know I’m not a vet!” “Well Doc, there’s no vet I could call at this time of night!” was Ray’s response. Doc gave the horse a shot of penicillin, the usual treatment for pneumonia in those days.
Later Doc Kinzie obtained a place for an office on Main Street across from the hospital. Here he was able to see patients as well as continuing with almost endless house calls, telephone calls, and patient’s visits to his home for care. Both Dave and Steve said they don’t remember their father ever complaining about the almost non-stop demand for his medical attention. Dr. Conners practiced in Tonasket at that time. Although they didn’t practice together in a partnership, they did closely coordinate so there would always be a doctor in town when the other one went on vacation.
In his professional and private life, Kinzie became good friends with another local doctor, Dr. Holmes. This doctor, who was born and raised in the Okanogan County, had gotten into aviation. Kinzie had the opportunity to take flying lessons while in Seattle (thanks to the GI bill). And Dr. Holmes had an airplane. Later Kinzie bought a plane with a local orchardist. According to Steve, the aircraft wasn’t used to transport patients. He used it to carry family and friends to and from Tonasket, but most the flying was for recreation. Steve describes him as a safe pilot. “Dad never flew against the weather.” One time, however he was somewhat forced to pick up some family members stranded in Wenatchee.
Flying back north the weather was rough and Kinzie literally white-knuckled the landing on a narrow strip carved out between an orchard and the Okanogan River. Another adventure in aviation, apparently inspired and organized by Dr. Holmes, was a winter time flight with a takeoff from the frozen Palmer Lake to land on the even more frozen Lake Chopaka. In relating the story, Steve said it took several trips for Dr. Holmes to get everyone up to Lake Chopaka and then back down. “Most the time was spent standing around in the freezing cold.” Both Dave and Steve described it as a thrilling experience. It would be interesting to know how many times this audacious adventure has been accomplished.
One may assume that Geneva, Doc’s wife, wasn’t as enthusiastic about aviation. Dave agreed that this is an understatement. “She didn’t like him flying at all.” Dave and Steve related the story that once on finding a cancelled $5,000 dollar check for an airplane she confronted Kinzie: “What’s this, $5,000 dollars for an airplane?” “Oh, I bought an airplane, but I forgot to tell you.” Love for flying continued throughout his life.
1943
Doc Kinzie’s medical practice continued to grow and flourish. He sought help with the work load, and for a couple of years, Dr. Hamon, a local doctor from Omak, joined his practice as a partner. Later, after Dr. Hamon left to become an anesthesiologist, Dr. Coombs joined the practice. Kinzie continued an affiliation with University of Washington as an adjunct member of the faculty. It was through contacts there he learned about the Medex or Physician Assistant (PA) program. In the 1960’s, at the U of W, a forward thinking medical instructor, Dr. Richard Smith saw that many of the tasks a doctor had to do could be done by other educated and trained individuals. And what other group of people would be better qualified for this advanced medical practice than corpsmen returning from the Vietnam War. At that time, after undergoing rigorous schooling and training at the University, PA candidates were then sent to clinical settings to fulfill a preceptorship under the guidance of a family practice doctor. Kinzie signed up to precept a PA student and in 1969 he was sent a young, “scared spitless” Mark Patterson. Mark had experience in surgery, as an x-ray technician, and as a combat medic.
Mark worked with Kinzie until he retired in 1976. Doc instructed Mark on how to do many simple procedures (removing warts, ingrown toenails) as well as assisting with more complicated surgeries (bowel resections, rotator cuff repair). “I learned a lot from Doc Kenzie. He taught me how to obtain a good history and physical from a patient.” But perhaps more important than sharing his medical expertise, Kinzie stressed the importance of using good common sense. “He would tell me that 80% of the patients will get better even without our interventions. Ten to 15% of the patients we will be able to help and 5% of the people we won’t be able to do anything for.”
Mark described his experiences with Doc in many complimentary ways. Most memorably, he was “a good, common, down to earth man.” In relating stories from working with Kinzie, Mark presented a picture of a man who was extraordinarily kind and caring. Sometime after he retired, Mark came across some notes in a journal Kinzie had kept. Mark was impressed by two entries: Doc had made a house call. He had charged the patient 50 cents and was worried that might have been too much. The other entry that Mark remembered was that every morning when Kinzie got to work, he prayed that God would help him be a better doctor. This was after decades of being in medical practice. Another time, upon coming to work, Mark noticed that Doc seemed distraught and worried. Was someone ill, had there been an accident? No, instead the County Insurance program had raised the amount a patient was going to have to pay out of pocket for an office visit from $5.00 to $7.50. “How are many of my patients going to be able to afford that?” Kinzie worried. It was not uncommon to be paid in beef and other farm produce in those days.
The addition of a PA had a significant impact on Kinzie’s practice. It allowed an increase in the number of patents that could be seen and at the same time decrease his personal work load. It reflected as a very forward thinker to be proactive for the PA program. It is difficult to imagine now modern health care, especially in the rural setting, functioning without advanced practice care givers. Kinzie was also an early proponent for bringing medical students into the rural areas to learn and train, a practice that continues to this day. Often the medical students who came to Tonasket stayed in Doc’s home.
Shortly after Dr. Kinzie retired, Dr. Walter Henze came to Tonasket and assumed Kinzie’s practice, which at that time was largely being run by Dr. Coombs. Henze stated that the other older doctors were very supportive, freely giving guidance and information. Henze agreed that Kinzie’s compassion and caring for people was remarkably exceptional. “He exuberated a compassion for people, and people were naturally drawn to him.” When asked where he thought this level of care came from, Henze said there was a “strong Christian religious component to Kinzie’s caring.” Or, Henze added, perhaps he was drawn to the Church of the Brethren due to his profound caring nature. “But Kinzie wouldn’t wear his religion on his sleeve.” Henze shared other compliments about Doc and his capabilities as a physician and a surgeon. Henze agreed that he was a very forward thinker in hiring ‘mid-levels’ like Mark Patterson and a licensed midwife.
All four of my informants commented on what a great sense of humor Doc had. Dave reported that if he told a joke or heard a joke “he would laugh like a baby.” According to Dave he would use humor to correct his son’s behavior. And sometimes Doc was a victim of a practical joke. Once, Kinzie had bought a brand new Renault. At that time he was a member of the Kiwanis, and couldn’t help but brag to other members what great gas mileage he was getting. Several of the Kiwanis thought they would pull a fast one on him. Late at night they would sneak over to Doc’s house and put gallons of gas in his little car. This went on for a couple weeks. His boast of superior gas mileage became even more enthusiastic until after a long trip, and the next day finding the fuel up to the gas cap, he told his son Dave that the car must be making its own gas. One can imagine the belly laugh Doc and his friends had. Unfortunately even exceptional care givers are not immune to the aliments and diseases of the human being. Throughout his later years, Kinzie suffered a series of heart attacks. Interestingly these cardiac infarctions occurred when he was out of town on vacation. Doc Kinzie also became critically ill with a kidney infection that required lifesaving surgery. And he had bypass surgery for increasing cardiac problems. Dave related that one day Kinzie went to see his doctor for extremely high blood pressure. His doctor dramatically stated that he “should retire or he would be dead in a week.” It was a Friday afternoon; Kinzie returned to the office and told everyone he wouldn’t be there Monday. Crying, he unscrewed his shingle from over the door after 31 years of service to the community.
In retirement he devoted time to serving the Church of the Brethren (he served on the national church board) and hobbies, which included wood working and building electronic equipment. Kinzie also started building an airplane. It was on vacation in 1983, while sitting on a park bench in England that he succumbed to a final heart attack.