DUANE
Duane's take
Well, the marker's got the story, and I've got the road — let me tell you what it says about this particular stretch of Scurry County history. We're talkin' about a man named Alonzo Orrin Scarborough, born way back in 1860 down in DeWitt County, who passed in 1952, and who spent just about the whole arc of his life pouring himself into the people of Snyder, Texas. Now hold onto that thought, because the details of how he got there are worth savoring.
He arrived in Snyder in 1881 — young man, no medical degree, no hospital to speak of — and he went to work on a ranch as a horse trainer. That's where this story starts. Not in a classroom, not in a lecture hall.
On horseback, with horses. Then, somewhere along the way, Alonzo Orrin Scarborough started what the marker calls 'reading' medicine. That word — reading — carries a whole world in it.
And by 1886, he had started his practice right here. Mind you, the degree came later. He received his M.D. from the Kentucky School of Medicine in 1889.
But the practice had already begun. That same year he started practicing, 1886, he married Nancy Goodwin. They'd go on to have three children — Ione, Hugh, and Enid.
Now picture this man's career. Snyder was not a city with paved streets and lit corridors. When patients needed him, Scarborough made those calls on horseback, often traveling miles alone at night.
Miles. Alone. At night.
In 1909, he was named chief railroad surgeon. He also served as the first county public health officer. And then in 1910, he opened the Scarborough Sanitarium — the first sanitarium in the county — running it through 1912.
He practiced medicine, by the marker's own account, until age ninety. Born in 1860. Still practicing at ninety years old.
Some men train horses. Some men read medicine by lamplight and then ride out alone in the dark to answer a call. Alonzo Orrin Scarborough, it turns out, was the kind of man who did both.
What the marker says
(1860-1952) Born in DeWitt County. Moved to Snyder in 1881 and worked on ranch as a horse trainer. Soon began "reading" medicine and started practice here in 1886. Received M.D. degree from the Kentucky School of Medicine in 1889. During his life-long career in Snyder, he made many calls on horseback, often traveling miles alone at night. Was chief railroad surgeon, 1909, and first county public health officer. Ran Scarborough Sanitarium--first in county--1910-1912. Practiced until age 90. Married Nancy Goodwin in 1886. Had 3 children: Ione, Hugh, Enid. (1969)