Physician’s ‘Babies’ Gather to Honor Him
Hundreds of townsfolk turned out Saturday for a parade to honor a retired physician on his 91st birthday, after a 61-year career in which, on average, he delivered a baby every 10 days.
A “happy birthday” greeting from President Reagan was delivered to Dr. George W. Wood by St. Helena Mayor Lowell Smith.
Wood, who had no children, said he presided at the births of 2,000 babies during his practice, and an estimated 500 of them returned to this Napa Valley town to honor the man who brought them into the world. Wood retired on his 90th birthday.
The people who had been delivered by Wood carried placards in the march that said, ‘I’m a 1920s Baby,” and in similar fashion in groups, up through the decades.
“Only in small-town America can you still do this,” said Mayor Smith.
Wood and his family contributed nearly $1 million to community groups. The money helped rebuild the town library and sent dozens of high school students to college, local people said.
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