ALTUS, OK – Jackson County Memorial Hospital would like to extend our appreciation to Dr. Noble Ballard, Family Practice physician, upon his retirement after serving the Altus area for over 48 years.
Dr. Ballard graduated from Duke High School, and listed as his senior ambition, “I am determined to be a medical doctor.” He graduated from the OU School of Medicine in 1964 and built his first medical practice in Hereford, Texas.
In 1973 he returned to Altus and blessed and assisted many patients and families in his practice. Internist Dr. Joe Leverett says, “I began working with Dr. Ballard in 1974 when I started in the Lab. When Dr. Ballard started, he was the ER doctor, the OB doctor, the pediatrician, the surgeon, the family medicine doctor and the hospitalist. He has delivered thousands of babies, done thousands of surgeries and treated thousands of patients for almost 50 years. Dr. Ballard helped me to be the physician I am today. He wrote a letter of recommendation for medical school and arranged for the clinic to purchase a Lifetime Hunting and Fishing license to encourage me to return to Altus and practice.
I saw a patient recently that told me Dr. Ballard saved his life many years ago. The patient was in a terrible car accident. His nose was almost completely cut off and was on his forehead. Dr. Ballard spent hours suturing it back on and the patient has had very little trouble since then. We didn’t have a trauma system in the early days. Dr. Ballard would be in the clinic, rush over to the ER for a problem, rush to OB to deliver a baby, go to the OR to remove a hot appendix and finally go back to the clinic to see patients. Altus and SW Oklahoma owe Dr. Ballard a huge debt of gratitude for almost 50 years of service. I certainly owe him.”
Dr. Ballard has stayed involved with his farming and ranching operation. Other interests include hunting, fishing, golfing, and gardening. In 1971, he obtained a pilot’s license and has loved owning and piloting his plane. Dr. Ballard and his wife Suzanne have three children and six grandchildren.
Dr. John Tran, Family Practice physician and JCMH Chief of Staff said of Dr. Ballard’s retirement, “Dr. Noble Ballard has served the hospital, our patients, and community for almost 50 years. He is an extraordinary physician who has healed with love, care and hard-won expertise. He is a great access provider and his professionalism and work ethic has reflected well on JCMH for these decades. We wish him a healthy, happy, and most enjoyable retirement with his wife and family. Dr. Ballard, please accept our sincere gratitude for all your years serving JCMH and our entire community.”