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DOC SPENCER
by Frederick A. Spencer, Jr. MD
 Over a period of thirty years, from 1967 to 1997, treating approximately forty patients a day, and refusing care to no one, I had the opportunity to experience many sides of the human story, collecting many memories along the way.
- Frederick Arthur Spencer, Jr., MD
A remarkable personal journey of a Salem, West Virginia physician, who, through his accounts of the many patients and their families that passed through the doors of his medical office—tells the story of resilience, faith, determination and community.
From assisting a patient while being held at gunpoint, to saving a nine year old from maggots eating away at his eardrum, Doc Spencer always endeavored to provide the best medical care possible with generosity, selflessness and a measure of good humor.
As dad wrote his autobiography and each patient’s or friend’s story, he was offering a piece of his heart. Each person with whom he had an encounter shaped him. He was the epitome of a family practice doctor.
- Kristi Venderlic
Frederick Arthur Spencer, Jr. was born January 6, 1932 in Middletown, Connecticut during the Great Depression. When he was five, his father, who had never seen a doctor, died of a heart attack. Raised by a single mother, young Freddie, his three older sisters and their mother never escaped poverty, but they found joy in life and learned the value of hard work and persistence. As a teenager, Fred never dreamed of college, let alone medical school, but teachers and mentors saw potential and guided him.
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