Former TAFP physician emeritus dies at 88

TAFP life member John E. Green Jr., M.D., died on Aug. 15, 2010, at the age of 88. He practiced family medicine for over 58 years and was named the 2008 TAFP Physician Emeritus in recognition of his longtime service to the specialty of family medicine.

Green received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1943 and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1948. He completed a surgical internship at Pearce County Hospital in Tacoma, Wash. Green served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950-1952 and completed tours of duty in Tokyo, Japan, and Guam.

In addition to his practice in Ballinger, Green also practiced in Meridian, Santa Anna, Coleman, Bronte, San Angelo, and Menard. His son, John Green, III, M.D., accepted the Physician Emeritus Award on his father’s behalf and told the audience about the elder Green’s passion for medicine. “Those of you who know my dad know that he is a quiet giant and never said very much. He couldn’t change the whole world, but he attempted to change the corner he lived in. For over 50 years he offered the people of Ballinger and west Texas a medical home and a place to seek medical care. He also strived through his work with TAFP to ensure that opportunity continued to be available to the people of Texas.”

In his community, Green was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church of Ballinger. He served for 10 years as the city health officer of Ballinger and served on the Board of Trustees of the Ballinger Independent School District from 1955-1964. He was also a member of the Runnels County Medical Society, the Texas Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the Southern Medical Association, TAFP, and AAFP, and was a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine. He was a member of the Ballinger Noon Lions Club for over 50 years.

Green is survived by his wife, Mary Anne; children, John E. Green III, M.D., and wife Mary Elizabeth Lansdell Green, Ph.D., Perry Green and wife Paula Harral Green, Jan Green Haney, Ph.D., Peggy Green Fiveash, and Julie Green Rojas and husband Peter Rojas, M.D.; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.