Dawn's Notes
Ninety-eight, Still Playing Music, Still Dearly Loved - November 2023
by Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW
Some call him “Doc,” but I usually call him “Dr. Harwood.” He is a medical doctor who is now ninety-eight years old. I remember him from about forty years ago when he did sports physicals for the students in our little rural school in Miltonvale, Kansas. When I first met him, he was young. He had black hair and a quiet, calm, competent demeanor. He is now retired. He is still tall but thinner, and his hair is grey. But he is still mentally sharp and friendly; he has the same smile. He is still kind, still loves music, and still plays his fiddle. He used to play music in our park with Wayne Dye who played guitar at our annual Tootlefest celebration. He also played his fiddle with other musicians who have moved away, but he continues to play his fiddle with a few other music lovers at the Corner Store in Glasco, Kansas, his hometown, on Tuesday mornings.
I came in contact with him again when my husband I went to the Corner Store on a Tuesday. Doc was already there. Before long, he took out his music books and began to play his fiddle. Between songs, individuals would quietly talk to him, reminiscing about how their lives had connected in the past. It is hard to imagine how many lives he has touched through his medical practice and his personal life. After he played his fiddle for a while, a few of those at the store gathered around an old piano in the back of the store to sing, and Dr. Harwood joined in. There was a feeling of joy in the group of singers!
After visiting the Corner Store a few times, my husband and I asked Dr. Harwood if we could meet with him and his son who stays with him—we wanted to get to know Dr. Harwood better. When we met, here are a few topics we discussed.
His Early life. He was born in Larned, Kansas, on June 12, 1925. When he was a little boy, he tried to pet a prairie dog, and it bit him on his finger. A doctor made house visits for 21 days to give him a shot each day to prevent rabies.
His Love of Music and Fiddling. Dr. Harwood said he “always loved music.” When he was a young child, his mother wanted him to play piano, but it didn’t work out. However, he sang bass in a high school quartet. When he was 80 years old, he decided to take fiddle lessons from a music teacher offering a class for adults. He had 7-8 basic fiddle lessons and has been playing fiddle since then.
Military service. During WW2, he was drafted in 1943 when he was eighteen. Before Thanksgiving, he said President Roosevelt promised “a Thanksgiving dinner” and that each soldier received a turkey sandwich and lukewarm coffee from a big vat that day. The next morning when German planes fired on two tanks near the soldiers, a bullet went through his helmet and his right ear. He had plastic surgery in Belgium on his ear, but still has fragments in his cheek. He was pleased that his nurse was from Kansas and his doctor knew someone in his hometown! He had another close call when he ran across a field with a machine gun firing pressure ammunition. Afterward, he found a bullet hole in his mess kit. He said the mess kit probably protected him from having a bullet through his heart. He was not an athlete, but he was able to outrun that bullet!
Medical School and Marilyn. Dr. Harwood met his future wife Marilyn at the University of Kansas where he was in medical school and she was studying pharmacy. After completing their schooling, they moved to Glasco in 1956 where he still lives. They had 2 children, Larry, who was a professional photographer for University of Colorado in Boulder and Susan, who is a retired teacher of Meadowlark School in Salina. He was pleased that Marilyn was a weather spotter for 25 years; he was a spotter for about 10 years. Dr. Harwood took care of his mother before she died and also took care of Marilyn when she became ill. He spoke of Marilyn with pride, stating she could play almost any instrument. They had 61 wonderful years together.
His Medical Career. He said that his favorite part of being a doctor was delivering babies. During his internship and medical practice, he delivered a total of 1,173 babies—his nurse Beth Anderson kept track. He said that he loves seeing what the babies have done with their lives. Longevity. He believes his longevity is probably due to genetics—his mother lived to 91, a cousin to 95, and an aunt to 99. He still walks downtown to the post office and bank with his dog Libby—about 1 mile total.
Advice to Others. “To take advantage of any educational possibilities.”
Faith. He said he didn’t think he would be here if he didn’t have faith. He said, “I think the Lord had a plan for my life.”
After the death of his wife, he went on living life and playing music. Everyone who knows him wants him to stay here as long as he can. His grandson is already talking about a 100th birthday party. He is very loved and admired, so his party should be a big one! For now, he is planning to do more fiddling before joining that big heavenly orchestra.
No matter how old we are or what we have gone through, there is a reason we are still here. So each day we are given is a treasure! For now, Dr. Harwood plans to keep on fiddling! He’s ninety-eight, still playing music, and he is still dearly loved.
Call about the next "Living Life after Loss" Group at:
Meadowlark Hospice
709 Liberty, Clay Center, Kansas
(785) 632-2225
Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW, Group Facilitator