Pioneer Dickens Physician Dies
Funeral services for Dr. B.F. Hale, 76, who died at his home here Monday night were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the First Christian Church. The Rev. John Floyd, pastor officiated. Burial was in Spur Cemetery under direction of Campbell Funeral Home.Dr. Hale had been in ill health about a year. The physician retired from active practice about 18 months ago. He had practiced medicine in Dickens County since 1909. Dr. Hale maintained an office in Red Front Drug store for many years. An interview with A.C. Hull, owner of the drug store, turned up many interesting sidelights in Dr. Hale´s life.
"Dr. Hale came from a poor farm family around Greenville. He worked his way through Barnes Medical School in St. Louis. Sometimes he would have to drop out of school and work to get enough money to continue his medical studies", Hull says. "Dr. Hale always said that the reason he settled in Dickens Co. was that he was on his way to the plains when he ran out of feed for his horses. He stopped and turned them out to graze, and the place where he stopped was Dickens. He was very proud of a pen given him by Dickens County Sheriff´s Posse, making him a lifetime honorary member", Hull continues. "About his only hobby was passing out silver dollars to children at Christmas time. Some people, now adults, still have a silver dollar that Dr. Hale gave them when they were kids. He never refused or turned a patient away because they did not have money for their doctor bill", Hull said.
Survivors include a daughter, Helen Taliaferro, Montgomery, AL, a son, Ben Murray Hale of San Francisco, two brothers, Lewis Hale, Corpus Christi and Henry Hale, Commerce, a sister, Mrs. Lona Phillips, Knoxville, TN, and a grandson.
Pallbearers were Frnak Watson, A.C. Hull, John Albin, Archer Powell, Horace Hyatt and Louis Green Davis, Bob Conner and Callie Ramsey, all of Spur.
Honorary pallbearers were Dr. J.F. Hughes, Dr. M.H. Brannen, Dr. T.H. Blackwell, Will Smiley, Albert Powers, F.B. Crockett, and Jim Perryman.
©The Texas Spur, August 15, 1957
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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