Our Founding Fathers, Henderson and Haney: Sharing a Vision, Seeking the Best
Quest for Quality Leads Doctors to Create TOC
What do a civil-war collector and an avid dog trainer have in common? How about a lifelong passion to staying on the cutting edge of orthopedic medicine as well as an unparalleled commitment to surrounding themselves with the best subspecialty care physicians available.
Back in the 1960s, Dr. Doug Henderson and Dr. Tom Haney were just bright-eyed kids training at Emory University Medical School in Atlanta, Ga. It wasn’t long before they met and realized they had both grown up on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Dr. William Douglas Henderson Jr. is a native of Tallahassee. The great-grandson of a doctor, he says he wanted to be in medicine for as long as he can remember. In 1957, he left Florida for a scholarship with Emory University. It was there that he obtained his undergraduate degree and attended medical school. At the time, he was convinced his calling was cardiovascular surgery and he even went on to do a cardiovascular residency at the Mayo Clinic in 1966.
At that time, President Lyndon B. Johnson had committed American ground troops to Vietnam in 1965 and the draft was still in effect. So Henderson was forced to put his training on hold, leaving his residency at the Mayo Clinic and joining the United States Air Force.
Henderson had only been enlisted a short time when his commanding officer came up to him and announced that he would be the orthopedic surgeon for his unit. Scared to death, he decided he could handle it because he’d be working under a more experienced physician. That was when the rug was really pulled out from under him.
The lead surgeon walked up, introduced himself by saying, “Thank goodness you’ve finally arrived. I’m going on R&R. I’ll see you in 10 days.”
He was a great doctor and man. It was from working under him that I decided to redirect my career into orthopedic medicine.
He was a great doctor and man. It was from working under him that I decided to redirect my career into orthopedic medicine.
“The good Lord really took care of me during those 10 days,” says Henderson. Able to laugh about it now, he reflects on how lucky he was to train under such a fine surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. He was a great doctor and man. It was from working under him that I decided to redirect my career into orthopedic medicine.”
The married father of two says he’s never regretted his decision. While he didn’t dare to dream that Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic would grow into what it is today, he knew that he was in the right place at the right time for something very special to happen.
Tom C. Haney grew up in Panama City, Florida. He attended Bay County High School and was president of his senior class. He was supposed to attend a Student Government Association trip one weekend during high school but was unable to go. As it turns out, the three teenagers in attendance as well as the chaperone were killed on that very trip. Amongst the casualties was Haney’s best friend, a bright young intellectual who had always planned on going to medical school. And while it was football that brought Haney to Florida State University in 1960 as a running back, it was freshman biology that kept him there.
“I got into biology and I just loved it,” says Haney, smiling warmly. “Soon I had to make a choice. I could either take my biology labs in the afternoons or attend football practice. But I couldn’t do both.” The choice was clear. “It seemed like the right fit at the right time, like I was being given a sign to carry on the goals and dreams of my friend.”
Soon I had to make a choice. I could either take my biology labs in the afternoons or attend football practice. But I couldn’t do both.
Soon I had to make a choice. I could either take my biology labs in the afternoons or attend football practice. But I couldn’t do both.
After college, Haney went to medical school at Emory University. During a surgical residency rotation at Emory Affiliated Hospitals, he handled his first hip surgery, and that night he decided that his life’s calling was orthopedics. “I just loved everything about orthopedic surgery – mechanically and anatomically – I knew right then that this was my calling.”
Prior to this life-defining surgery, Haney had an ophthalmology residency at Duke already lined up. He would have to enter the Air Force to wait for an orthopedic residency to open up. Turns out it was the best choice he ever made. The married father of two says he and Dr. Henderson chose Tallahassee because they both loved it and they shared a similar vision. They shared a love of sports medicine and believed that they could develop a cutting-edge practice together. But more importantly, they knew the secret to their success was going to be the other doctors they would eventually recruit and inspire.