DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Hendrick Medical Center in Taylor County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a preacher's vision and ends up a hundred years of healin' in west central Texas. It's that kind of story.
In 1915, a man named Millard A. Jenkens arrived in Abilene to take the pulpit at First Baptist Church. Fresh to the job, he looked around and saw something that needed fixing — a hospital that would serve all people, whether or not they had a dime to pay for it.
That was the vision. And here's the thing about a good preacher with a clear vision: his congregation listened. They pooled together and donated thirty-five thousand dollars to make a Baptist hospital real.
A committee came together from First Baptist and from Simmons College — which you know today as Hardin-Simmons University. And then Judge Clifton Mott Caldwell and his wife, Cora Keathley Caldwell, stepped up and donated six acres of land outright. Six acres.
That's not a gesture — that's a commitment. An architect named David S. Castle drew up the plans for a fifty-two-bed facility, and on September 15, 1924, the doors swung open on what they called the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium.
Now, don't let the name fool you — this was a modern operation. Three operating rooms. Three elevators.
An x-ray department. And a nursing school right there on the grounds. Among its early leaders, you ought to know the name Earl Matthew Collier.
He served as superintendent from 1929 all the way to 1970 — the longest-serving superintendent the hospital ever had. But between his arrival and the later years of his tenure, the Depression rolled through like a West Texas duster, and the hospital felt the strain. That's where the Hendricks come in.
In 1936, Thomas G. Hendrick and his wife, Ida Nations Hendrick, paid off the hospital's existing debt — all of it — and then financed a brand-new four-story east wing, including two specialty wards just for children. The hospital was renamed Hendrick Memorial Hospital in their honor, and that name meant something.
After that, the building just kept growin'. A four-story west wing in 1943. A four-story north wing in 1946.
A six-story service wing in 1957. Student nursing housing in 1959. The Millie L.
Anderson building in 1963. The Mary Meek School of Nursing building in 1966. Wing after wing, year after year, each addition a declaration that this institution wasn't finished yet.
Then in 1971, the name changed one more time — to Hendrick Medical Center — to reflect what it had grown into: a regional healthcare anchor for west central Texas. One hundred years. That's what the marker is marking.
A hundred years of a preacher's promise, a congregation's dollars, a judge's land, a family's generosity, and floor after floor of care for people who needed it. Some stories just build and build — and this one is still standin'.
What the marker says
In 1915, Millard A. Jenkens (1872-1962), the new pastor of Abilene’s First Baptist Church, saw a need for a hospital that prioritized serving all people, whether or not they were able to pay for treatment. His congregation shared his vision and donated $35,000 to establish a Baptist hospital. A committee formed of First Baptist congregants and officials from Simmons college (now Hardin-Simmons University). Judge Clifton Mott Caldwell and his wife, Cora (Keathley) Caldwell, donated six acres for a Baptist hospital. David S. Castle designed the 52-bed facility, which opened on September 15, 1924, as the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium. The hospital’s modern facilities included three operating rooms, three elevators and an x-ray department. The hospital also hosted a nursing school. Notable early leaders include Earl Matthew Collier (1898-1981), the longest serving superintendent from 1929-1970. The new hospital experienced strain during the Depression. In 1936, Thomas G. Hendrick (1862-1946) and his wife, Ida (Nations) Hendrick (1866-1946), paid off the hospital’s existing debt and financed a four-story east wing, including two specialty wards for children. The hospital was renamed Hendrick Memorial Hospital in their honor. Regular additions followed, including a four-story west wing (1943), a four-story north wing (1946), a six-story service wing (1957), student nursing housing (1959), the Millie L. Anderson building (1963), Mary Meek School of Nursing building (1966), and more. In 1971, the facility was renamed Hendrick Medical Center to reflect its regional healthcare role. For 100 years, Hendrick has committed to provide high-quality healthcare in west central Texas. (2023)