Dr. Alward McKeel White
Historical Summary
Dr. Alward McKeel White, born in Maryland in 1847, was among El Paso’s early physicians. Trained at the Maryland Agricultural College and graduating in 1864, he entered the U.S. Army as a contract surgeon and traveled west, passing through El Paso in 1868 on his way to Colorado. After leaving the Army three years later, he ranched near Greeley, Colorado, and married Katherine Payne in Evans, where their son Alward was born.
White moved to El Paso in 1887, with his wife joining him soon afterward. The family first stayed with the Magoffins and then lived in an adobe house at Utah (Mesa) and San Antonio, where their second son, Owen, was born. Because medical practice initially did not provide a sufficient income, White worked as a customs agent in Silver City, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona; during the family’s years in Tucson, their daughter Leigh was born. They later returned to El Paso as the city expanded into a border metropolis of about 10,000 residents.
In El Paso, White became city physician and played an important public health role by working to purify the drinking water supply and vaccinate residents against smallpox despite public reluctance. He made house calls by horse and buggy and also served many prostitutes in South El Paso, keeping a record book that identified them by first name only. His compassion was noted in accounts of his grief at the sudden death of the prominent madam Alice Abbott.
White died unexpectedly on May 7, 1898. In tribute, Dr. Francis Gallagher gathered the town’s nineteen physicians to draft a resolution of सम्मान, arrange floral offerings, and attend the funeral together, an action later regarded by some as a precursor to the El Paso Medical Society. A large crowd filled St. Clement’s Episcopal Church for his funeral, and the following Sunday the Reverend Cable Martin delivered a memorial sermon titled “The Beloved Physician.”
Document Transcription
Dr. Alward McKeel White
Dr. Alward McKeel White was one of El Paso's early doctors. He was born in Maryland in 1847. He was named after his father and followed in his father's footsteps by studying medicine at the Maryland Agricultural College, graduating in 1864.
Upon graduation he joined the U.S. Army as a contract surgeon with the understanding that he was to go west and protect the settlers from the Indians. In 1868 he passed through El Paso on his way to Colorado. After three years, he resigned from the Army and bought a ranch near Greeley, Colorado. He met and married Katherine Payne in Evans, Colorado, where their son, Alward, was born.
In 1887 he returned to El Paso, with Katherine following a few months later. They initially stayed with the Magoffin family and shortly thereafter moved into an adobe house at the corner of Utah (Mesa) and San Antonio. Their second son, Owen, was born there.
Unable to make a living as a physician, Dr. White took a job as a customs agent and was sent first to Silver City, New Mexico, and then Tucson. Kate and the boys followed. After several years as a customs agent in Tucson, where daughter Leigh was born, the White family returned to El Paso in 1887.
By that time, El Paso had become a border metropolis with a population of about 10,000, with a need for physicians. Dr. White became the city physician and took on the job of purifying El Paso's drinking water supply and vaccinating a reluctant population for smallpox. He kept a horse and buggy for his house calls at the Longwell Transfer, Telephone No. 1.
He became the family doctor for sizeable numbers of prostitutes operating in South El Paso. His record book still exists that lists the “girls” by first name only. It was reported that when the illustrious Madam Alice Abbott died suddenly of a heart attack, he was moved to tears.
Dr. White died unexpectedly on May 7, 1898. Dr. Francis Gallagher, a close friend, called the nineteen doctors in town to discuss how to express their respect for Dr. White. They drew up a resolution commending Dr. White, arranged for floral offerings, and sat together at his funeral. Some have suggested that this may have been the first unofficial act of what was later to become the El Paso Medical Society. An overflow crowd attended his funeral at St. Clement's Episcopal Church. The following Sunday, the Reverend Cable Martin delivered a memorial address entitled “The Beloved Physician.”
(The information for this nomination was taken from a memoir written by Dr. White's daughter, Leigh White Osborn, and published in the Winter 1994 issue of Password and a paper written by Oliver Osborn, Dr. White's nephew.)
