Dr. R.D. Williams: Pioneer Doctor in Indian Territory

A quick learner and a hard worker, Robert Dee Williams, better known as Dee, works hard on his parents’ farm in Dalby Springs, Texas, and at the same time he brings home good grades in school. Dee’s teacher believes he can go to college and become a professor, a minister, a lawyer, or a doctor. His parents, however, know they don’t have the money to send their firstborn to college. Dee wrestles with the decision of what to do with this life. But when his young cousin dies, Dee’s lifelong mission becomes clear. In Dr. R.D. Williams, author Bob Norwood, R.D. Williams’ grandson, narrates a fictionalized story of Dee’s life. This memoir follows Dee from his boyhood home in Texas; to three years of medical school in Tennessee; to beginning his practice in Idabel, Oklahoma, Indian Territory; caring for all kinds of patients during his tenure; and the general pace of life as a doctor and a man. From the 1880s to his death at age eighty-seven, Dr. R.D. Williams tells the story of a man with honor, integrity, and purpose who was well-loved and respected by both a community and his family.