Page 29 - To Dragma October 1933

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-f- VIRGINIA W E B B was born in Calvert, Ala-
bama, o n A u g u s t 25, 1907. She was the
youngest o f a number o f children, by several
years. H e r father was Dr. Francis Ashury
Webb and her mother's maiden name was
Edna McKae. The town of Calvert is located
about thirty miles north o f Mobile, and is sit-
uated in beautiful rolling Alabama country.
Both her parents were born and raised in the
locality, they were sweethearts f r o m early
youth, and after they were married they lived
in the o l d W e b b place, w h i c h has been in
the f a m i l y f o r several generations. V i r g i n i a ' s Webb also talked to Virginia about becoming
mother and sister still occupy the old house
where she was b o r n .
From early childhood Virginia and her
father, who gave his life to his country prac-
tice, were close f r i e n d s as w e l l as parent and
child. From his unselfish giving of his time,
energy and medical knowledge, V i r g i n i a got
her first i n s p i r a t i o n to make her l i f e o f some
Ijse to the less f o r t u n a t e . But not alone f r o m
ner f a t h e r d i d she get all her i n s p i r a t i o n ,
borne credit goes to her mother, who, though
for many years has been an i n v a l i d , is one
Of the most b e a u t i f u l characters I have ever
encountered. In spite of her suffering, which
at times is intense, she is always c h e e r f u l and
interested in the outside world. She shared
her husband's belief that their youngest c h i l d
Was intended to be a doctor.
V i r g i n i a , as f a r back as she can remember,
went on calls with her father, riding miles in
27
VIRGINIA
WEBB
Wins
Mc Causland
Fellowship
ii
By Dr. Mary
Raymond Gould, Pi
the buggy behind the horse. Dr. Webb, on
these long rides, would talk to her about the
cases he had seen o r was g o i n g to see. Some
o f the first money she made was earned by
filling capsules w i t h quinine f o r the large sum
of five cents a h u n d r e d , f o r l i k e so m a n y
c o u n t r y doctors o f years ago, he had to fill
his o w n prescriptions. Later she was taught
to fill some o f the m o r e complicated prescrip-
tions. T h e summer before she entered medi-
cine she was promoted, and became almost an
assistant, being allowed to help with his obstet-
rical cases. O n their long rides together, D r .
a doctor. He told her then that he believed
she was intended to be one, but he never
forced her into the profession in any way.
When at the end of her junior year in college,
he realized he w o u l d no longer be able to
help her financially, he t o l d her to do j u s t as
she saw fit, but that i f she had d e t e r m i n a t i o n
enough, he believed she c o u l d find a w a y t o
continue her studying. He unfortunately died
in the middle of her second year in the med-
ical school, and t h e r e f o r e d i d n o t see her
graduate, nor did he live long enough f o r her
to go back and practice w i t h h i m as had been
their hope for many years.
Virginia's grammar school education was
taken in the country school house in Calvert.
Her first three years in high school were also
taken there, but fortunately the high school
classes were under the Mobile school system
and were taught by a University of Alabama
graduate. W h e n she and her father realized