After 47 Years, Local Doctor Hanging Up His Stethoscope

Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:28 AM

Press release from Dearborn County Hospital

Rising Sun native and long time Southeastern Indiana General Practitioner, Dr. Gary Scudder (left), accepts a recognition plaque and a check in his honor for the Scudder Association, an international charitable organization, from A. Kenneth Ingram, Chairman of the Dearborn County Hospital Board of Trustees. Dr. Scudder is being honored upon his retirement, for his 47+ years of service as a local primary care physician and a member of the DCH Medical Staff. Photo provided.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - This past July 1, marked Dr. Gary Scudder’s 47th anniversary as a member of the Dearborn County Hospital Medical Staff. Now, as of September 19, Dr. Scudder has retired from active practice. During his 47+ years as a General Practitioner, he has cared for tens of thousands of patients, doing everything from delivering babies to providing emergency treatment for accident victims.

For many households in Southeastern Indiana, Dr. Scudder seems to be almost part of the family…having cared for multiple generations throughout the decades. To his patients, he was more than just a healthcare provider, he was their friend and trusted advisor. He was always there when they needed him the most.

Born and raised in Ohio County, the Rising Sun High School graduate did not leave Southeastern Indiana for long. Following high school, he attended and then graduated from Franklin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry before entering the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Upon receiving his Medical Degree, Dr. Scudder performed a rotating internship at Brooke General Hospital Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, followed by service with the First Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Shortly after, he and his division were deployed to Vietnam where he served as a Battalion Surgeon.

After his return stateside, Dr. Scudder was appointed as the Chief Medical Officer for the Armed Forces Examining Station in Cincinnati. The following year in 1967, he entered into full time private practice at the Ludlow Hill Clinic in Lawrenceburg and became a member of the Dearborn County Hospital Medical Staff. Dr. Scudder practiced medicine full time in Lawrenceburg at the Clinic until the late 1990s when he opened a second office in Rising Sun. Upon its opening in 1999, Dr. Scudder consolidated his two offices into one full time practice at the newly constructed Rising Sun Medical Center, where he also served as Medical Director.

During his 47 year career in Southeastern Indiana, Dr. Scudder held numerous DCH Medical Staff offices including twice as Chief of Staff. He currently serves as the Dearborn County Health Officer Administrator, a position he has held since 1995. Over the years, Dr. Scudder has worked as Medical Director for several area long-term care facilities and has been an active member of state professional organizations including serving as President of the Indiana Association of Public Health Physicians.

“Dr. Scudder has spent his career caring for the residents of Southeastern Indiana. Today, physicians rarely practice in the same area for such extended periods of time,” noted Roger D. Howard, Dearborn County Hospital President/CEO. “We are most grateful for the 47+ years of dedicated service Dr. Scudder has provided to the hospital, his patients and the region as a whole.”

At the September meeting of the Dearborn County Hospital Board of Trustees, Dr. Scudder was presented with a plaque recognizing his medical career and commitment to the region. In addition, the Board made a $2,000 donation to the Scudder Association in honor of Dr. Scudder.

The Scudder Association is an international charitable organization comprised of the descendants of John, Thomas and Elizabeth Scudder of 1600s Kent, England. Goals of the organization include providing financial assistance to specific hospitals and schools in India, as well as supporting religious and educational activities, such as scholarships to qualified students in the fields of medicine, ministry and social work.

Dr. Scudder will also be presented with a custom made captain’s chair at the next meeting of the Dearborn County Hospital Medical Staff.

“These items are just expressions of the deep appreciation the hospital, medical staff and community have for the work Dr. Scudder has done over the past 47 years,” concluded Mr. Howard. “Nothing can fully express our combined gratitude for his lifelong commitment to medicine and to the people of Southeastern Indiana.”