Abstract
MSMA remembers Drs. Macdonnell and Wheeler and attending the Annual Conventions, testifying during the Reference Committees, and being a Friend of Medicine in the General Assembly.
Thomas M. Macdonnell, MD, known as “Dr. Tommy,” died July 10, 2022, just six months short of his 100th birthday in Marshfield, Missouri.
He was involved in many civic organizations and boards during his lifetime but is best remembered as a World War II hero, a state representative, and an obstetrician.
Dr. Tommy enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 at the age of 20 and took part in D–Day as part of the Normandy Invasion. He was a sharpshooter and half–track gunner in the First Infantry Division also known as “The Big Red One.” He was one of the few in his group that survived the carnage at Omaha Beach and was hit in the hip by shrapnel.
Dr. Tommy also took part in the Battle of the Bulge where a land mine resulted in more serious injuries to his skull, ribs, vision and hearing. For his service, he received two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star.
Coming back Dr. Tommy followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming an obstetrician in Marshfield where he delivered more than 4,500 babies. In 1989 a large group of them honored him by turning out in the town square to have a photo made.
When he first started in the business with his father he was sent on house calls where he would charge three dollars for in–town visits and five dollars for out–of–town calls.
Dr. Tommy was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1986 where he authored the Clean Indoor Air Act that would become law in 1992.
That law not only banned smoking in most public places but also prohibits the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 18.
Charles B. Wheeler, MD, a physician and one–of–a–kind politician, died Oct. 25, 2022, at a skilled nursing facility. He was 96.
Dr. Wheeler served as Kansas City mayor from 1971 to 1979.
With a distinctive voice, straight–arrow reputation and penchant for bow ties, Wheeler was elected Jackson County coroner in 1964 and western judge of the former Jackson County administrative court in 1966. After his two terms for mayor, he made a comeback in 2002 when he ran for Missouri Senate and won, partly attributable to yard signs that bore a silhouetted profile bearing the words “Dr. Wheeler – Integrity.”
Before and during his years in politics, Dr. Wheeler, a pathologist, ran Wheeler Medical Laboratories on the St. Luke’s campus.
During his mayoral years were the opening of the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex and Kansas City International Airport.
Another landmark achievement was helping convince the Missouri General Assembly and other state elected officials to establish the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Construction of the medical school began in 1972 on land contributed by Kansas City at 22nd and Gillham, which soon became known as Hospital Hill. Ground was broken on nearby Truman Medical Center in 1973, and the publicly financed hospital opened in 1976.
A Kansas City native, he got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville and a law degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. After graduating from medical school at the University of Kansas, he served as flight surgeon to the original aerial acrobat team, the Thunderbirds.