Sunday, May 19, 2024
Tim Maynard, M.D., recently retired from his medical practice after more than 40 years of serving patients in the Gatesville community and surrounding area as a family practice doctor.
From an early age, Maynard always knew that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Dr. Billy Joe Maynard, a well-known physician, had practiced in Crane, Texas for more than 45 years.
“I was in seventh grade when I decided to become a physician since I loved science and math,” he said.
Maynard was born in Crane and graduated from Crane High School in 1972. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Tech University followed by his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern in 1980.
He completed his residency at the John Peter Smith Family Practice Program followed by additional training at the Jefferson Davis Hospital Obstetrics High-Risk Training Program, which certified him to perform cesarean deliveries (C-sections).
During his 40-plus years practicing in Gatesville, Dr. Maynard provided health care to the old and young alike. He delivered well over 500 babies in his first nine years of practice.
“That’s when I was known as the ‘skateboard doctor’ as I road my skateboard back and forth from the clinic to the hospital to check on the status of the women in labor,” he said. He would later say that those trips back and forth on foot became quite fun after the purchase of the skateboard.
In an article that appeared in the Gatesville Messenger in 1986, he was described as “coming down the sidewalk … lab coat flying in the wind … the wheels of his red and white skateboard zinging down the sidewalk.” In the 1986 article, Maynard was quoted as saying “Some days I make 20 trips and I kept saying I was going to get a skateboard and finally some of the nurses went down to Walmart to get one, but when they found out skateboards cost $50, they backed out. So, I went down and got it.”
As a small-town physician, like his father before him, Maynard saw patients with various types of illnesses and injuries, even treating fractures and assisting with numerous surgeries. His patient load grew and grew.
“In 2013, when I left Scott & White, 3,000 patients went with me to Coryell Health,” he said.
Maynard’s tireless approach to patient care led him to leadership roles throughout his career. He served as chief of staff and has been a board member of Coryell Health.
“During his time on the Coryell Health Board of Directors he provided direction from his role as a physician,” Coryell Health Board President Ronnie Sullins said. “He provided invaluable guidance as we have built Coryell into what it is today.”
“Dr. Maynard’s contributions to Gatesville, his patients, and Coryell Health are too numerous to count,” said David Byrom, Coryell Health CEO. “Dr. Maynard is a compassionate person, dedicated to his faith, family, profession, and patients,” Byrom said.
Maynard has noticed changes in healthcare over the past 40 years especially with the ways to store and pass on information saying that with the advancement of storing information on the computers, has sped up some of the processes, but has slowed down other aspects.
“As an example, the old way of filling out a death certificate took about three minutes. Now it is a minimum of 20 minutes if the computer is working correctly to log on and fill out all the information required. My father would see over 100 patients a day during a flu epidemic. His paperwork was three lines and now it’s two to three pages,” he said.
Perhaps the person who could best reflect on Maynard as a doctor would be his certified medical assistant, Della Altum, who has been working with him since 1983. Altum, who had no medical background, applied to be his assistant. Out of all the applicants, he chose her, and he trained her so that she could become a CMA. When asked if he was a good boss, Altum replied with a grin, “he’s bossed me all these years or as he would say, I’ve bossed him.”
Altum has worked by the doctor’s side from their time at the Gatesville Medical Center, Scott & White Clinic, and finally Coryell Health.
“He’s been my personal family doctor for all these years, my children were babies when I went to work for him, so he’s watched my children grow up and I’ve watched his children grow up,” she said. “He’s not only a physician, but a Christian man. One patient said, ‘he was my best friend and I feel like I’ve lost my best friend.’”
The patient said that when Maynard entered the examination room, he felt like he was talking to his best friend.
Altum reflected on Maynard’s generosity with a story when one young man visited Dr. Maynard’s office and admired the shoes that he was wearing. Maynard removed his shoes and traded with the young man.
“That’s the type of person he is,” Altum said.
Maynard met his wife, B.J., in Dallas at a church service while he was in medical school.
“I didn’t have time to date much while in medical school but reconnected with her three years later in Midland while off – right before graduating from medical school,” he said.
While he was often busy caring for patients, he made time for his wife and his two sons, Casey and Cody – often coaching baseball when his sons were younger. His sons are now grown and married with children of their own. Casey married Jenna and Cody married Crystal – and blessed Tim and B.J. Maynard with a total of six grandchildren.
Dr. Maynard has a deep-rooted faith and belief in God.
“Man is always seeking more knowledge, but I have learned that God is the truth. We always need the truth about any situation or problem we face. I always had a Bible in every exam room for those seeking the truth. God can heal anything. We just have to know how to work with Him,” he said.
Maynard plans to enjoy his retirement with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
“I’m excited about spending more time with family and friends since before that was not possible,” he said.
Reflecting on his 40-year medical career, Maynard stated, “I have always wanted my patients to get the bigger picture of what life is. Without God, we have very little.”
