"Given one well-trained physician of the highest type and he will do better work for a thousand people than ten specialists."
---- Dr. William James Mayo
It appeared as though those thousand had assembled, under the tent at Thomas on a sultry Saturday in late May. Family and friends gathered to honor Dr. Jerry Thomas at his and wife Lou Ann's historic home, that of his great-grandfather Simon Stephen Thomas (1875 - 1966). Natives of Franklinton, my husband Rodney and I counted ourselves lucky to be in that number.
Much to my regret we arrived after the speech in which Dr. Jerry had eloquently recognized a passel of people --- his friends, family, fellow physicians, patients, and the community at large. As he later told me, Dr. Gerald Foret, present for the party, was the pillar of our medical community. And Dr. Jerry added, "I was honored that he came."
Born in May of 1953, the son of R. O. Thomas (1930 - 1994) and Frances Nelline Thomas (1929 - 2013), young Jerry was raised and educated in Washington Parish with his siblings Dianna, Kerry, and Richie Thomas. An all-state basketball player, he was valedictorian of the class of 1971 at Thomas High School. Pursuing a career in medicine, in 1974 he graduated summa cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana University where he majored in zoology.
And in 1976 Dr. Jerry married Lou Ann Pitre, a teacher, of Baton Rouge. It was she who introduced Dr. Andy Olinde, a surgeon who arrived from Red Stick (what my dad called the Capital City) to honor his roommate from medical school. He mentioned to me his memory of Jerry's basketball skill. The mother and mother-in-law of physicians, I can say with some authority that it takes extracurricular activity to survive medical training. And like my kids, Dr. Jerry is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the prestigious honor society in medicine. Graduating in 1979 from Louisiana State University Medical School, that same year he campaigned for and was elected Coroner of Washington Parish. At age twenty-six, he was the youngest coroner in the history of Louisiana.
Completing his internship at historic Big Charity in New Orleans and his residency at Washington-St. Tammany Charity Hospital in Bogalusa, Dr. Jerry was certified as a Doctor of Family Medicine in 1983. That same year, he accepted a faculty appointment with the LSU School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine (in Bogalusa and New Orleans), which he held until 1989. Establishing his medical practice, Dr. Jerry joined the medical staff of Washington-St. Tammany Regional Medical Center of Bogalusa in 1979 and then Riverside Medical Center (as of January 1, 1990) where he has served on the Board of Commissioners. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that during the 1980s, Dr. Jerry also served as the Battalion Surgeon of the 205th Engineer Battalion of the Louisiana National Guard, which my father, former National Guard Commander, appreciated.
But it was the coroner's post that whet Dr. Jerry's appetite for politics, leading to his election to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1987 and reelection in 1991 and 1995, before being elected State Senator for District 12, serving from 1999 to 2004. While I do not have sufficient space to cover all of Dr. Jerry's accomplishments and contributions to Washington Parish, the Bogue Chitto State Park, the Dr. Jerry Thomas By-pass, and the library at Thomas spring to mind.
Riverside Medical Center and Thomas Community Health Center, the latter which Dr. Jerry established, are where his patients flocked to see him, for excellent healthcare. And a stone's throw away, his home at Thomas is where they assembled to honor him in May. I could not possibly cover the immense crowd, but I did visit with a number -- Martha McNeal, and her son Mike McNeal; Jill Bulloch; Kim and Mike Burris; Jo Ann Strickland of Bogalusa; Dr. Gerald Foret, and his son Dr. Chris Foret; my cousins Jo Ann Magee Phelps and her brother Ricky Magee, with Tanda Schilling; my neighbors Johnny and Nancy Passman; Mary Wood; Marsha Newman; Janice Branch; my cousins Ron and Mercer Brumfield; Elder Doyle Ball, and his son Grayson Ball; and Dr. Jerry's sister, Dianna Thomas.
And in a small world vein, I ran smack dab into Alisa Leggett, a banker from Tylertown that I have known for years and for whom I once gave a talk for the Walthall County Friends of the Library. What I did not know was that Alisa's mother and Dr. Jerry's grandmother were sisters.
There were also dignitaries at the party --- Sheriff Randy "Country" Seal, and his wife Shelia; Assessor James A. "Jimbo" Stevenson, Jr.; State Representative, District 75, Malinda White, who is Dr. Jerry's cousin; Judge Ellen Creel, with husband Brandon; and Judge Vincent "Vinny" Lobello, with wife Bridget Burris Lobello.
While Rodney and I were tardy for the speech, we did not miss the scrumptious feast. After getting separated from my better half in the crowd, I discovered that he had maneuvered to the head of the buffet line. It was Bridget's husband Vinny Lobello who kindly escorted me to the front of the queue. One should not cut a long line willy-nilly, at Thomas. I much appreciated the Judge's kindness as the fare was delicious.
With the band belting out tunes on the porch, folks from across South Louisiana gathered to honor Dr. Jerry Thomas. After an illustrious medical career, the devoted doctor has retired.
