Colonel Roy S Hubbs
Roy Seas Hubbs was born in Dawson, Minnesota on December 12th, 1895 to Carrie Ward and Charles Hubbs, their eldest son. He was raised on the family farm in Gary, South Dakota. Roy was determined to have a medical career from a young age, but had to remain on the farm to support his family due to his age. Instead, he took correspondence courses to pass High School by “carrying his books to fields where he worked, studying as he was able there, and by kerosene lamp in the kitchen after the chores and dinner were finished.” When World War One consumed the United States in April of 1917, Roy wanted to serve his country but also understood that he needed to continue supporting his family. As a compromise, he enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard by 1918 and was able to stay on the homefront as it was federalized when many of its members were sent as replacements overseas. On January 11th, 1919, he was discharged from the Army and began to set his dream of medical school into motion.
Roy entered Dakota Wesleyan University for two years, then the University of South Dakota, sacrificing meals and comfort to afford school books. Additionally, he served as a methodist preacher in their Student Volunteer Movement. In 1926, he finally graduated with a pre-med degree, then enrolled in Northwestern University Medical School for his medical degree. While there, he married Clara Eikamp before his graduation in 1929, then completed an internship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. |
Veterans Association
On June 9th, 1930, Roy received his physician & surgeon license and was promptly commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army Reserves to work for the Veterans Administration in addition to practicing on his own. As devout christians, the Hubbs family also gave half of their income during the Great Depression to missionaries in Africa while helping local Americans struggling with money and medical care at home. While working at the Veterans Administration Facility in Sheridan, West Virginia, Lieutenant Roy was designated as a medical examiner for the Bureau of Air Commerce, but his services were about to take a larger turn.
World War Two
In 1939, WW2 erupted in Europe while Roy was serving as scoutmaster of the local Boy Scouts, and then eventually consumed the United States on December 7th, 1941. Roy was quickly promoted to Major and sent to Australia in 1942 as commander of an Army Field Hospital to treat the large influx of American and allied wounded from brutal jungle warfare in the Pacific. During the recapture of New Guinea, Major Hubbs moved to a hospital on the island to be closer to the casualties and remained in this capacity until the end of WW2 in 1945. He was discharged from the Army on November 12th, 1945 at the rank of Colonel but remained in the reserves and returned to his job at the Veterans Administration with thousands of new patients brought by his second war.
The Hubbs family moved to California the same year and he continued his passion for helping others by supporting the Salvation Army, YMCA, Boy Scouts, and veteran organizations with his medical expertise. Roy worked at the Langley-Porter Clinic in San Francisco, and in the 1950s, established the first sheltered workshop for mental patients in the US where they were treated and rehabilitated back into society. Simultaneously, Roy served on the faculty of both the University of California, from 1950 to 1955, and the Stanford University Medical School from 1955 to 1962. He retired from the Army Reserves on January 31st, 1956 but remained working at the VA until 1962 after 30 years helping veterans. “He was active until two months before his death, refusing to give in to increasing loss of physical stamina, but no loss of mental ability to care for others, until forced by a stroke to do so.” Roy passed away at age 92 on March 28th, 1988, having served in two world wars and dedicated his life to the needs of others.
On June 9th, 1930, Roy received his physician & surgeon license and was promptly commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army Reserves to work for the Veterans Administration in addition to practicing on his own. As devout christians, the Hubbs family also gave half of their income during the Great Depression to missionaries in Africa while helping local Americans struggling with money and medical care at home. While working at the Veterans Administration Facility in Sheridan, West Virginia, Lieutenant Roy was designated as a medical examiner for the Bureau of Air Commerce, but his services were about to take a larger turn.
World War Two
In 1939, WW2 erupted in Europe while Roy was serving as scoutmaster of the local Boy Scouts, and then eventually consumed the United States on December 7th, 1941. Roy was quickly promoted to Major and sent to Australia in 1942 as commander of an Army Field Hospital to treat the large influx of American and allied wounded from brutal jungle warfare in the Pacific. During the recapture of New Guinea, Major Hubbs moved to a hospital on the island to be closer to the casualties and remained in this capacity until the end of WW2 in 1945. He was discharged from the Army on November 12th, 1945 at the rank of Colonel but remained in the reserves and returned to his job at the Veterans Administration with thousands of new patients brought by his second war.
The Hubbs family moved to California the same year and he continued his passion for helping others by supporting the Salvation Army, YMCA, Boy Scouts, and veteran organizations with his medical expertise. Roy worked at the Langley-Porter Clinic in San Francisco, and in the 1950s, established the first sheltered workshop for mental patients in the US where they were treated and rehabilitated back into society. Simultaneously, Roy served on the faculty of both the University of California, from 1950 to 1955, and the Stanford University Medical School from 1955 to 1962. He retired from the Army Reserves on January 31st, 1956 but remained working at the VA until 1962 after 30 years helping veterans. “He was active until two months before his death, refusing to give in to increasing loss of physical stamina, but no loss of mental ability to care for others, until forced by a stroke to do so.” Roy passed away at age 92 on March 28th, 1988, having served in two world wars and dedicated his life to the needs of others.