Obituary of Doris Velma Spegal

Doris Spegal, pioneer of women in medicine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doris Velma Spegal would have raised many eyebrows when she first started practicing medicine. Dr. Spegal, 88, who died Wednesday at her home in Demossville, was the first woman doctor ever to work at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Covington, where she did her internship during World War II. "She was a true pioneer for women in the medical field, because there were very few women doctors in the '40s," said her nephew, Jerry Spegal of Piner. Born in rural Fiskburg, she graduated second in her class at Piner High School in 1935, where her sister, Roberta, was valedictorian. She earned an associate's degree from Cumberland College in 1937, and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1942. After interning in Covington, she did her residency at Louisville General Hospital, and then started a pediatrics practice in Dallas in 1945. She became a pediatrics specialist in 1954 and was appointed professor of pediatrics at the Dallas Medical School, where she taught senior students in the clinic for 20 years, as she maintained her pediatrics practice. At various times, she served as president of Dallas Pediatrics, a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics, and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 1968, she adopted a newborn boy, Mark, and in 1974 returned to Piner to raise her son with her family. She practiced medicine in Walton until 1986, when her son died in an auto accident. Her faith in God helped carry her through, her nephew said. She sang in the choir of every church she regularly attended, and taught Sunday school at her last church, Wilmington Baptist Church in Demossville. She also served on the Foreign Mission Committee for the Northern Kentucky Baptist Association, and as a volunteer medical director and board member of the Northern Kentucky Baptist Convalescent Center. Disabled in her later years, she "became a true prayer warrior and encourager," her nephew said. "She set a great example by faithfully attending church, even though she had to do it in a wheelchair." She was thrilled to attend Wilmington Baptist's 200th anniversary celebration just two weeks before she died, still a member of the church's music committee. Survivors include a brother, J.B. Spegal of Demossville; sisters, Ora Cleveland of Demossville and Naomi Cummins of Crittenden; and 14 nieces and nephews. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Wilmington Baptist Church, Demossville. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Burial will be in Wilmington Cemetery, Demossville. Memorials are suggested to Wilmington Baptist Church, 15472 Madison Pike, Demossville, Ky. 41033; or Northern Kentucky Baptist Convalescent Center, 120 Main St., Newport, Ky. 41071.