MORTON - Dr. Howard Clark's hands are steady and his voice is confident, memories from the day he opened his family practice 44-years ago are as fresh as his just-completed hospital rounds.
His office in this small central Mississippi town where poultry reigns supreme contains a collection of Bibles. Some are new, but most are relics dating back as far as the 1500s.
The words "Who let the dawgs out" stream across the screen of his computer monitor and a brand new pair of maroon shoes adorns his bookshelf - testimony to his zeal for Mississippi State University.
A tattered black medical bag rests on the table near the door, a testament of the doctor's true passion.
Clark's dedication to rural Mississippi has earned him the Country Doctor of the Year award from Staff Care, a national temporary physician staffing firm.
"This guy's amazing," said David Faries, a Staff Care spokesman. "He's still working 90-100 hours a week dedicating himself so much to the community.
"At a time when he could be thinking about retiring, he's working on purchasing a mobile MRI and CAT scan."
At age 73, Clark sees dozens of patients a day at his clinic, works the night shift at the Scott Regional Hospital emergency room at least four nights a week, makes hospital rounds, and cares for 120 patients at the local nursing home.
He also makes house calls.
Clark spends his spare time as the doctor for all Morton High School athletic teams. He also teaches Sunday school at the First Baptist Church and is chairman of the Scott County Democratic Party.
Rare days off are reserved for continuing education classes and MSU sporting events.
"I wouldn't do anything else," he smiled. One of his awards is a vacation - Staff Care will provide a doctor to take his place for a week.
"Maybe I'll work the emergency room," he said. Or he might follow the baseball Bulldogs to Omaha if they play in the College Baseball World Series.
"He's got a big heart," said Rickey Harrell. "He's like a member of the family."
Harrell, 52, had brought his 81-year-old mother, Annie Harrell, to visit Clark on a Wednesday morning. Clark has been treating her heart and lungs, with the help a specialist in Jackson. Jackie Harrell said Clark has been his family's doctor for more than 30 years, doing everything from routine check-ups to a late night surgery when Jackie had appendicitis.
Clark's education started in a "one-room closet school house," in rural Mississippi during the Depression.
There were eight grades and one teacher at the small community's school. Clark went to high school in nearby Richton. After graduating in 1944, he joined the Army and served in the South Pacific. A shortage of medics led him to his first taste of medicine.
"There were crash courses all the way," he said. When he returned to the States, he married and enrolled in premed at Mississippi State University. He went to medical school at the University of Mississippi and Tulane University. His residency was at the University Medical Center in Jackson, where he worked in the then new emergency room.
The man who is adept at surgery and emergency care, decided to become a family doctor he said, because he likes dealing with people. "If I'm going to treat you I'm going to treat you," said Clark. "I don't want to treat just your kidneys or your heart."
He said he chose Morton for his practice after visiting the town once. "Two people said, 'you could do good practicing medicine in Morton,"' Clark said. That was enough for him. He found a house and set up a family practice. "The good Lord wanted me here."
A UMC surgeon regularly visited Morton to train Clark in surgery for "two years, seven months and three days."
Clark did all the surgery and delivered all the babies in Morton, a town of about 3,200, for more than three decades. Ten years ago, he let a specialist take over the town's surgery.
"I remember in his early years his desire was to go back and specialize in surgery but he could not leave the community," said Eunice Williams, 58, Clark's oldest daughter. "The needs demanded of him to become what he became."
Clark used to hunt and fish every Thursday but gave it up 33 years ago because he didn't have the time. He also gave up his active role in state politics. He was an aide to Gov. Cliff Finch, and was also secretary of the state Democratic Party for four years.
His seven-day weeks scared his children away from medicine, said Williams. "No one wanted to follow in his footsteps … we thought we'd have to work as hard as he did and put in as many hours as he did."
Time hasn't marred Clark's zeal for his work. He shrugged off a heart attack, saying "if you've been there you can relate to it better."
Clark's wife, Mildred, died 33 years ago. He later married Jackie. Each had six children at the time. Altogether Clark has raised 13 children, 22 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Yet, his long hours don't conflict with his family, said Williams, noting that her father always found time to help or discipline his children.
"I have deep appreciation for him and what he does for patients and the hospital," said Dr. Mohammad Athar, a radiologist at Scott Regional Hospital. "It is common to hear from patients that he doesn't care about the fee. … He will find some way to help them."
Clark will receive his award Dec. 17 at the Livingston Center in Roosevelt State Park.
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